11:35 a.m.: Hill’s extension in Vegas is official, the team announced.
8:50 a.m.: The Vegas Golden Knights have signed goaltender Adin Hill to a six-year extension worth $37.5MM (as per TSN’s Darren Dreger). The new deal will carry an AAV of $6.25MM which is just a shade above the $5.85MM that Washington Capitals netminder and former Golden Knights teammate Logan Thompson signed for just a few weeks ago.
Hill could have tested unrestricted free agency this summer, but opted for the comfort of a familiar setting and the security of a long-term extension. Hill is in the final season of a two-year deal he signed in the summer of 2023 and is currently carrying a $4.9MM AAV, but is making $4.2MM in actual salary.
Hill became somewhat of a folk hero in 2023 as he led the Golden Knights to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history after several goaltenders went down to injury. The 28-year-old had been acquired by Vegas late in the summer of 2022 for a fourth-round pick and was expected to serve as depth. He took the reins and guided the Golden Knights to a title by posting an 11-4 record with a .932 save percentage and a 2.17 goals-against average. He bet on himself in the following summer, taking a two-year deal instead of a long-term contract, and the gamble has paid off as he will now be paid like a top-10 NHL goaltender.
On the surface, Hill’s numbers for the last two seasons look rather pedestrian. He has posted save percentages of .909 and .906, respectively, but a deeper dive into the data shows that Hill has been incredibly valuable to Vegas. He posted goals saved above expected of 6.4 in 2023-24 and 13.8 this season (as per Money Puck), and more importantly, he’s been a steady presence for a Golden Knights team that still has Stanley Cup aspirations. This season Hill has dressed in a career high 39 games, and has gone 24-11-4 with a 2.53 goals-against average and four shutouts.
With Hill signed long-term, Vegas is now projected to have just over $10.49MM in available cap space this summer (as per PuckPedia). While they are unlikely to make a big splash with limited funds, the Golden Knights don’t have any major extensions to worry about other than veteran depth players.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Pitch a shutout, get paid! :D
Long-term middle-class goalie deals are fun. Will they pan out? Will they not? We will find out!
Though I think this contract could end up looking bad I’m happy for Hill. Went from 3rd stringer to cup winner to steady starter. Nice work, kid.
looks like an overpayment for a mid goalie
Another awful contract to a goalie. This one lasts 3-4 years tops
Should’ve just kept and signed Thompson [shrug]
.906 and .909 are not at all “pedestrian.” They’re good. Not great, but good. And Hill doesn’t have to be Dominik Hasek in front of this squad. He needs to be Chris Osgood, and simply play well without dropping a bomb.
Seems like a bit much to me but, Hey it’s not my money so ……OK.
Shades of Georgiev