Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) holds up the Stanley Cup during a Golden Knights victory rally at Toshiba Plaza Saturday, June 17, 2023. The Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday to win the Stanley Cup Final.
Sunday, June 25, 2023 | 1:35 p.m.
It appears Adin Hill isn’t going anywhere.
The Stanley Cup-winning goalie, who won 11 games for the Golden Knights en route to their first title, is reportedly closing in on a multi-year extension to stay in Vegas.
Sportsnet is reporting a two-year deal with an average annual value of $4.9 million — more than double what Hill made in his prior contract at $2.125 million AAV.
The 27-year-old Hill rose to stardom when he filled in for the injured Laurent Brossoit in Game 3 of the second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.
Having never appeared in the playoffs prior to this year, Hill won 11 of his 14 starts and was a factor in the Golden Knights capturing the first Stanley Cup in franchise history two weeks ago. Hill allowed 2.17 goals and posted a postseason-best .932 save percentage in 16 appearances.
It was a stretch that put Hill into legend status — a level that could only be rivaled by beloved fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury.
It’s a sign of good faith by the Golden Knights to reward Hill, but it does come with risks.
The Golden Knights acquired Hill in a trade with San Jose last August as insurance due to the offseason hip surgeries from goalies Robin Lehner and Brossoit. Vegas sent a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Sharks for Hill, who had not appeared in 100 NHL games in five seasons.
Hill made a career-high 27 appearances this season and posted career-bests in goals allowed (2.50) and save percentage (.915).
He got to be the starter for an extended time following the All-Star break due to Logan Thompson suffering a lower-body injury in early February. He went 6-2-0 in nine appearances which included wins over Tampa Bay, Carolina and New Jersey.
After Hill made 32 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on March 7, a lower-body injury ended Hill’s regular season.
The Golden Knights are investing their remaining cap space ($3.42 million, per CapFriendly) in extending Hill, who has yet to appear in more than 30 games in a season.
Extending Hill means Vegas likely closes the door on bringing back forward Ivan Barbashev. The unrestricted free agent, who Vegas acquired from St. Louis prior to the trade deadline, had 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in the run to his second championship.
This also raises the question of Lehner, who was on long-term injured reserve last year due to double hip surgery and a procedure on a torn shoulder labrum.
With Hill signing a deal that nearly mirrors the AAV of Lehner ($5 million), the Golden Knights could place Lehner on LTIR again or look to trade him outright.
Either way, Vegas appears committed to the Hill-Thompson tandem in their quest for back-to-back championships.
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
