Golden Knights Activate Adin Hill, Place Two On IR
The Golden Knights activated goaltender Adin Hill from long-term injured reserve on Thursday, per Jason R. Pothier and Ken Boehlke of Sin Bin Vegas. Netminder Carter Hart and winger Brandon Saad were placed on IR in corresponding moves, leaving the Knights with an open roster spot. They announced they’ve used that spot to recall forward Tanner Laczynski from AHL Henderson. With William Karlsson still on LTIR alongside Alex Pietrangelo on season-ending LTIR, Vegas remains cap-compliant.
Hill is expected to start tonight against the Maple Leafs, his first appearance in nearly three months. The 29-year-old has made just five starts this season and none since Oct. 20, when he sustained a lower-body injury in the first period against the Hurricanes.
It was an inauspicious start to the first season of Hill’s six-year, $37.5MM extension that he signed last March. Before exiting the lineup, he started the season on a cold run with a 1-0-2 record, .888 SV%, and 2.73 GAA. He allowed one goal above expected in 220 total minutes of action, per MoneyPuck.
Hart was signed in part due to concern over how much time Hill would miss. That experiment has been an early failure. Hart’s .871 SV% in 12 starts is the worst figure among the four netminders to suit up for Vegas this season. Among goaltenders with at least 10 appearances, only Leevi Merilainen and Petr Mrazek have allowed more goals above expected on a per-60-minute basis than Hart at 0.837.
Now, Vegas gets its true No. 1 back in the lineup. Akira Schmid has operated as the club’s de facto starter with a team-high 24 appearances and has provided great value for his $875K cap hit, logging a .896 SV% and 2.47 GAA with two shutouts and a 14-4-5 record. His 2.0 GSAx is first in Vegas and 34th in the league overall.
His rocky start aside, though, Hill is clearly the better long-term option. He’s never finished a season below .900 aside from a four-game run with the Coyotes in 2017-18 to open his NHL career. For a streaking Vegas team that’s struggled to get consistently above-average goaltending this season, his return could be an X-factor in them widening their lead in the Pacific Division.
Hart has already missed three games with a lower-body injury he sustained one week ago against the Blue Jackets. Since seven days have passed since his injury, he’s eligible to come off IR at any time. However, since he was administered a week-to-week designation last weekend, that won’t be coming anytime soon.
Saad is in the same boat in terms of his activation eligibility, sustaining an undisclosed injury in the Columbus game. He remains day-to-day and will presumably be an option sooner than Hart will. It’s been a trying season for the 33-year-old, who’s shooting at just 3.1% and has been limited to a 2-5–7 scoring line in 39 games with a -1 rating.
Laczynski’s recall comes as Vegas opens the roster flexibility to give itself injury insurance at forward. In addition to the injured Saad taking up a spot on the active roster for the last few games, Brett Howden has missed two contests with a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to be available against Toronto tonight, either.
It would be Laczynski’s season debut if he enters the lineup against the Leafs. The 28-year-old depth option was recalled once from Henderson in November but didn’t play. Now in his second year in the Knights organization, he suited up eight times last season and scored once while averaging 8:36 of ice time per game.
The 6’1″, 205-lb pivot has been the Knights’ most consistent minor-league producer since signing a two-year, league-minimum deal in 2024. After racking up 37 points in 41 appearances for Henderson last year to lead the team in scoring despite only playing in 57% of their games, he’s upped his production to 13 goals and 35 points in 32 games this season, along with a team-high +22 rating. He’s the biggest reason why the Silver Knights are tracking for their first season above .500 since 2021-22.
Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images.
Golden Knights’ Adin Hill Out Week-To-Week, William Karlsson Targeting Olympic Return
The Vegas Golden Knights received two important injury updates on Tuesday. Most pressing, goaltender Adin Hill was designated as week-to-week by head coach Bruce Cassidy, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic. Cassidy also said that forward William Karlsson is expected to be back in the lineup before the two-week break for the Winter Olympics in February.
Hill has been out of the lineup since sustaining a lower-body injury in the first period of Vegas’ October 20th win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He has carried a week-to-week designation for much of the time since then, though that’s turned into a two-month absence that appears set to drag on even further. Cassidy shared that Hill is “getting closer”. That confidence, pitted against a mention on the Olympics’ in Karlsson’s timeline, could be enough insinuation to hope that Vegas can get their starting goaltender back before January ends.
Karlsson has also missed a substantial amount of time already. He sustained a lower-body injury in Vegas’ November 8th loss to the Anaheim Ducks that earned a spot on long-term injured reserve. Karlsson has now missed 50 games since the start of the 2024-25 season – continuing a stretch of routine absences that extends back to the 2019-20 season.
Both Hill and Karlsson have strong Olympic hopes in mind. Hill was one of three goaltenders invited to Team Canada’s preliminary camp, suggesting that he’s a shoo-in to head to Milan. Hill joined Canada at the 2025 Four-Nations Face-Off but didn’t play in any of the four games. His only experience representing his country came in 2021, when he won one game and set a .909 save percentage in three games at the World Championships.
While Hill pushes for a backup role, Karlsson could carve out a solid role for Team Sweden. The 32-year-old center did not represent Sweden at the 2025 Four-Nations tournament, and has only played in four World Championship games dating back to 2018 – though that is often thanks to his NHL team sticking in the playoffs for too long. When he does adorn the tre kronor, Karlsson finds strong impact, with four points and one Gold Medal in 14 World Championship games across his career. He will be one of Sweden’s top center options as they assemble their Olympic roster.
More than their Olympic hopes, both players will hope they can quickly get back on ice with a Vegas team that ranks top in the Pacific Division. Karlsson maintained a key role in the lineup this season and scored seven points in his first 14 games of the season. Hill was an initial favorite for the starter’s crease, but began to share it with Akira Schmid and Carl Lindbom after posting one win and a .888 Sv% in five games. Since his injury, Vegas has also signed Carter Hart, bringing even more competition into the goalie room. It seems the Golden Knights will be set to sort out that goalie crowd early in the new year, with a similar logjam coming for their center depth soon after. The Golden Knights rank 16th in goals-for and eighth in goals-against in the NHL at Christmas break.
Golden Knights Assign Carter Hart On Conditioning Loan
According to a team announcement, the Vegas Golden Knights have assigned netminder Carter Hart to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on a conditioning loan. In a corresponding roster move, Jason Pothier and Ken Boehlke of SinBin report that Adin Hill has been placed on the injured reserve, likely retroactive to October 20.
It’ll be Hart’s first appearance in a professional setting since the 2023-24 season. Hart, as well as four others, were involved in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial during the summer months and found not guilty.
Per the additional punishment agreed to by the NHL and the NHLPA, the five players from the assault trial were barred from signing a contract until October 15, and could not return to NHL ice until December 1. Accordingly, it’s reasonable to assume that Hart’s conditioning stint will last until then.
Although he didn’t maintain the same production as in his first two NHL seasons, Hart remained consistent during his last three years with the Philadelphia Flyers.. From the beginning of the 2021-22 NHL season until he was suspended during the 2023-24 campaign, Hart managed a 47-56-20 record in Philadelphia with a .906 SV% and 2.99 GAA.
It’s anyone’s guess as to how Hart will perform upon his return. It’s one thing to return to the game’s highest levels after two years removed, and it’s another to return after going through the stress and embarrassment of a high-profile lawsuit. At any rate, the Golden Knights believe he has more left in the tank, signing Hart to a two-year, $4MM deal on October 25.
Meanwhile, Hill is designated for the IR after nearly a month away from the ice. Still, despite missing a month due to a lower-body ailment, Hill is expected to return within the next few weeks if his recovery timeline goes according to plan. He has a 1-0-2 record through five games to start the season with a .888 SV% and 2.73 GAA.
Snapshots: Laine, Ristolainen, Hill, Barron, Khaira
Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine has struggled with injury issues throughout his NHL career, and unfortunately 2025-26 has been no different. The Canadiens announced on Saturday that Laine would be out with a lower-body injury on a day-to-day basis, and given that day-to-day designation, it appeared this Laine absence would be relatively straightforward. But today, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported that Laine “has gone for a second opinion on his lower-body injury,” and although he’s still listed as day-to-day, the report raises questions about whether he could be looking at a more extended absence.
It’s an important time for Laine and the future of his career as he nears the expiry of his $8.7MM AAV deal. Laine is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer, and there were times during his debut campaign where he looked like he’d found a long-term place to play with the Canadiens. He scored 20 goals and 33 points, and was particularly lethal on the power play, but injuries limited him to just 52 games. With Ivan Demidov almost certain to command a first-unit power play spot at some point down the line, and Zachary Bolduc‘s addition already moving Laine down to the second unit, it’s fair to question if the Canadiens have a place for Laine going into the future. He has gotten off to a slow start this season with just one point in five games, and a potentially longer-term absence could further complicate things. For a player who has at times looked like, and performed like, a star in the NHL, today’s report is an undoubtedly discouraging development.
Other notes from across the NHL:
- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has not made his 2025-26 debut yet as he recovers from the season-ending surgery he underwent earlier this year, and today DailyFaceoff’s Anthony Di Marco reported that the player is targeting a return at some point in December. Ristolainen was the Flyers’ No. 2 defenseman by ice time last season, playing in 20:31 per night including a role on both special teams units. So far this season, right-shot blueliner Jamie Drysdale is playing nearly two additional minutes per night compared to what he played last season, likely in part due to Ristolainen’s absence. The Flyers have gotten off to a decent 3-2-1 start, and getting Ristolainen back in December should only boost their competitive chances.
- The Vegas Golden Knights recalled netminder Carl Lindbom today as part of their response to the injury suffered by starting goalie Adin Hill, and it was confirmed today by head coach Bruce Cassidy that Hill would be out on a week-to-week basis. (Report via Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal) Cassidy added that Hill won’t travel with the team on its road trip to Florida and North Carolina, a trip that concludes Oct. 31 with Vegas’ home game against the Colorado Avalanche. It’s an unfortunate development for Hill, who has played in five games so far this season to a .888 save percentage and 2.73 goals-against average.
- One of the breakout players of this early portion of the 2025-26 Winnipeg Jets season, Morgan Barron, will be out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, according to The Athletic’s Murat Ates. Barron, as mentioned, has been one of the Jets’ more productive players so far this season. The hefty 6’4″ forward has scored three goals and five points in six games, which already puts him one-third of the way to his scoring total from 2024-25, one he managed across 74 games. With Barron injured, Parker Ford is likely to draw into the lineup in Barron’s vacated fourth-line role.
- 337-game NHL veteran Jujhar Khaira played out 2024-25 on an AHL contract, and a mid-season trade to the Abbotsford Canucks allowed Khaira to help the Canucks to a Calder Cup championship. Khaira hasn’t found a team for 2025-26, but today Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reported that the Canucks “are talking” with Khaira “about re-joining the team.” Assuming they’re talking about a potential AHL contract, it’s unlikely Khaira would be a cheap addition to the AHL payroll as a player with so much NHL experience and a Calder Cup championship on his résumé.
Golden Knights Recall Carl Lindbom, Jaycob Megna
The Golden Knights announced they’ve recalled goaltender Carl Lindbom and defenseman Jaycob Megna from AHL Henderson. They only had one open roster spot, and they created another by moving defenseman Noah Hanifin to injured reserve, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. With insufficient cap space, there’s another corresponding transaction still to come.
That move will likely be an IR/LTIR shift or placement. Right now, Mark Stone is on standard injured reserve and is week-to-week with a wrist injury. If they expect him to miss at least 10 games and 24 days, they can transfer him to LTIR, retroactive to Oct. 18, and increase their LTIR pool by roughly $3.5MM, given their current cap space ($310,275, per PuckPedia).
Lindbom’s recall indicates they expect Adin Hill to miss some time after he departed Monday’s game against the Hurricanes in the first period. It’s an apparent lower-body injury for Hill, who reacted awkwardly after flashing his left leg to make a save (video via B/R Open Ice). It was the second time in under a week that he’d left a start early due to injury. A retroactive IR placement would rule him out of Vegas’ next two games and make him eligible for activation on Oct. 28.
In the meantime, Lindbom gets the call from Henderson to man the Knights’ crease with Akira Schmid. While Carter Hart is with the team on a tryout, he’s ineligible to play until Dec. 1 as a result of his suspension following a not-guilty verdict in connection with a sexual assault charge. Until he’s a factor, Lindbom is an intriguing call-up option. The 22-year-old was a seventh-round pick back in 2021 but has quickly seen his stock rise following some standout performances in Sweden’s top two pro leagues. He arrived in North America last season and spent the year exclusively with Henderson, recording a .912 SV% and 2.65 GAA in 36 appearances. This year, he’s off to a pristine start with a 1.00 GAA and .958 SV% in two showings for the Silver Knights.
Any playing time would mean his NHL debut. While Schmid is undefeated in his four appearances, he doesn’t have overly inspiring numbers with a .899 SV% and 2.57 GAA. He hasn’t been a significant drag by any stretch, but has still allowed 0.6 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. With him and Hill both posting tepid numbers out of the gate, it would make sense to give one of their top prospects a look, but amid a tough road trip through Florida and Carolina, they may be hesitant to do so.
Megna arrives to give the Knights an extra defenseman on hand for their road trip. They were only rostering six healthy ones without Hanifin, who hasn’t played since the season opener because of an undisclosed injury. Since he’s already missed more than a week, he’s eligible for activation at any time.
The 33-year-old Megna signed a two-year, $1.6MM deal with Vegas in the offseason and cleared waivers a few weeks back on his way to Henderson. The veteran of 193 NHL games has an assist, six penalty minutes, and a plus-two rating through his first four appearances with the minor-league club. With No. 7 Ben Hutton playing well since being inserted into the lineup for Hanifin, it’s unlikely Megna will see action unless another injury pops up. Hutton has two assists and a plus-three rating through six games while averaging 15:54 of ice time per night.
Adin Hill Leaves Game Due To Injury
A rough sequence from tonight’s game in Calgary has dealt a blow to the Golden Knights. Vegas’ starting goaltender Adin Hill left after the first period due to a lower body injury, as noted by Jesse Granger of The Athletic.
First, Hill appeared shaken up due to a shot that knocked his mask off, but in the following scrum, the 29-year-old seemed bothered by a lower body ailment as well. Akira Schmid took the crease to start the second period for the Golden Knights.
As mentioned by Granger, Carter Hart will become eligible to sign with a team tomorrow, but will not be able to play until December. The Knights have been speculated as a possible fit in the past, and while the hope is certainly that Hill will not be sidelined for long, it will be interesting to follow what comes next.
Golden Knights Sign Adin Hill To Six-Year Extension
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.
Golden Knights Have Not Started Extension Talks With Adin Hill
Recently, we’ve seen several pending free agent goaltenders sign contract extensions. Linus Ullmark (four years, $33MM) and Joey Daccord (five years, $25MM) inked new deals to stop them from reaching unrestricted free agency while Jake Oettinger inked an eight-year, $66MM extension over reaching restricted free agency next summer. Those moves came on the heels of Boston’s signing of Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66MM deal, ending a long stalemate in his trip through restricted free agency.
With Ullmark and Daccord coming off the list of potential UFAs and the Rangers and Igor Shesterkin still plugging away at what’s expected to be a record-setting extension, Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill is poised to be one of the top netminders remaining out of next summer’s crop of goaltenders. Unlike some of the others, however, don’t expect a new deal for him to come about anytime soon as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that talks on a possible extension aren’t expected to begin until sometime in the new year.
The 28-year-old is in his third season with Vegas and has seen his fortunes change considerably since joining them. Originally acquired as injury insurance in 2022, he didn’t see a ton of action during the regular season that year but, of course, played an instrumental role in them winning the Stanley Cup. His performance there helped earn him a two-year, $9.8MM deal, effectively serving as another bridge contract.
Last season, Hill wasn’t able to put up as good of numbers as his first year with the team but he still managed a 2.71 GAA and a .909 SV% in 35 regular season games while playing quite well in his three playoff appearances. This year, he’s off to more of a sluggish start with a 3.81 GAA and a .851 SV% but only two weeks into the season, things can change quickly.
That said, Hill’s market is likely a bit trickier to determine at this point. His 35 appearances last season were a career high but is still on the low side compared to most starters. Between his previous roles and injuries, he has largely been a backup or platoon option. There is always interest in those types of players but not at a level where he could command considerably more than he’s making now. Frankly, if he’s viewed league-wide as a platoon player and not a true starter, matching this contract from an AAV perspective could be difficult.
With that in mind, it makes sense for both sides to wait this out for a little while. If Hill stays healthy and plays like a legitimate starter over the next few months, he’ll have a stronger case in negotiations than he wound now. Meanwhile, if he falters a little bit, it wouldn’t be shocking if Vegas either came in at a lower number or pushed things back further.
The Golden Knights have had a fair bit of turnover since joining the league with only two netminders spending parts of four years with the team while only five have played more than 35 games. An extension for Hill would give them some stability at that position but based on this report, it won’t be coming for a while yet.
Multiple Teams Showing Interest In Golden Knights Goaltenders
The Golden Knights are in somewhat of an unusual spot heading into next season as both of their goaltenders are a year away from becoming unrestricted free agents. To that end, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that teams are showing interest in both Adin Hill and Logan Thompson.
Both netminders are still relatively inexperienced at the NHL level, all things considered. Hill has played parts of seven seasons but has just 123 career regular season starts under his belt between Arizona, San Jose, and Vegas. Thompson, meanwhile, has even less, with just 95 starts over parts of four years.
Hill played an integral role in the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup title last year, helping earn him a two-year, $9.8MM contract soon after to avoid him reaching the open market last summer. The 28-year-old saw his numbers drop a bit this season although he still managed a 2.71 GAA with a .909 SV% in 35 games, both above the league average.
He was basically in a time-sharing situation with Thompson, who made 42 starts in 2023-24. His numbers were nearly identical to Hill’s, checking in at 2.70 and .908 respectively. The 27-year-old got the nod to start the playoffs but ceded the net to Hill for the final three games as they bowed out to Dallas in the opening round.
It’s worth noting that Thompson is one of the biggest bargains in the league between the pipes. His AAV checks in at $766.7K, below the minimum salary. With Vegas being quite tight to the salary cap once again this summer, they’d be hard-pressed to be persuaded to part Thompson knowing that whoever replaces him would cut into their already limited flexibility.
With their salary structure, it’s hard to see Vegas being able to afford to keep both goalies beyond the upcoming season. They should be able to afford to keep one of them but combined, they’d likely cost more than what GM Kelly McCrimmon can realistically afford to allocate to that position. With that in mind, it makes sense that teams are sniffing around to see which one might become available, if one is made available at all.
With Jacob Markstrom already having been moved, Linus Ullmark is the next-biggest name in play among NHL netminders and there are several teams who could be on the lookout for help between the pipes. As a result, it could be an intriguing trade market for netminders in the coming days.
West Notes: Kane, Hill, Hertl, Bogosian
Oilers winger Evander Kane has been fined $5K, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing Flames forward Dryden Hunt in last night’s 4-2 win, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced. The play occurred early into the second period. After Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard stopped a shot from Hunt on a 2-on-1 rush and froze play, Kane checked Hunt away from the crease and then laid a slash across his wrists as the two were circling behind the net after the whistle (video via RDS). It was a night to forget for Kane, who was benched for stretches and played just 9:54 – a season-low, discounting games where he’s sustained injuries. Near the end of the second period, he was on the receiving end of a fiery tirade from teammate Corey Perry as well. The 32-year-old still has solid totals with 23 goals and 41 points in 74 games this season, but he’s been among the Oilers’ worst players defensively and is averaging 16:43 per game, the lowest since his rookie season with the Atlanta Thrashers 14 years ago.
Other notes out of the West:
- Golden Knights starter Adin Hill is nearing a return as he practiced with the team today and will travel on their two-game road trip through Western Canada, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Cassidy also told reporters that forward Tomáš Hertl will “probably” make his Vegas debut tomorrow in Vancouver. Hill has been out since March 24 with a lower-body injury, his second of the season. He also missed two weeks in early December with a lower-body ailment, although it’s unclear if the two are related. It’s been a battle for last year’s Stanley Cup hero to stay healthy this season, but he’s been Vegas’ best and most consistent option when available. He’s started a career-high 32 games, posting an 18-10-2 record with a .914 SV%, 2.62 GAA, two shutouts, and 9.5 goals saved above average. Hertl, meanwhile, has been ramping up in practice over the past few days and is set to play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery as a member of the Sharks shortly after the All-Star break.
- The Wild have depth defenseman Zach Bogosian back in the fold against the Blackhawks today, notes The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The 33-year-old has recently logged top-four minutes alongside Jonas Brodin but missed Minnesota’s last two games, both losses, with an undisclosed injury. The Wild are teetering on the edge of playoff contention and realistically need to win out to sniff a chance at making the postseason. Bogosian has actually been quite good for Minnesota since being picked up from the Lightning in an early-season trade, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists for 13 points in 55 games while averaging 18:06 per game, his highest usage and offensive production since 2018-19 with the Sabres. He’s done so with positive possession metrics, too, logging a 50.7 CF% and +3.3 expected rating.