Recently, we’ve seen several pending free agent goaltenders sign contract extensions. Linus Ullmark (four years, $33M) and Joey Daccord (five years, $25M) inked new deals to stop them from reaching unrestricted free agency while Jake Oettinger inked an eight-year, $66M 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, $66M 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 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, $9.8M 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.
