When you sign a six-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, you expect that life will be much easier. For Adin Hill, that was supposed to be the case last March after he penned a deal worth $37.5 million. However, the new deal kicked off with, well, some injuries.
There was a slight bump in the road against the Calgary Flames on October 14. A week later, he comes back, only to suffer a lower-body injury again.
Man, life can be unfair sometimes, eh? It's like the hockey gods toy with him and don't let him survive and thrive (Rhymes Like Dimes!).
In fact, this isn't the first time that the Calgary native got hurt. Remember in 2023-24 when he got hurt against the Ottawa Senators? Remember when he came back for one game (somewhat similar to 2025-26), only to get hurt again? Well, that has raised some concerns among Golden Knights fans.
That has led to Golden Knights fans bringing up a dreaded five-letter word: trade. Bruce Cassidy talking about Hill being out until mid-January (at the earliest) didn't help matters. While notable barriers exist, such as a 10-team no-trade list and a sizable $6.25 million cap hit, it's still noteworthy to see if Hill gets dealt in the future.
Why Adin Hill getting dealt by the Vegas Golden Knights is a realistic option in the future
You have your outside factors, such as a rising salary cap, making this trade easier to manage. Sure, $6.25 million seems like a bit to take on now. However, teams can manage that when the cap floats to $113.5 million come 2027-28. Heck, you can say the same thing for next season when it reaches $104 million.
However, that also raises a broader point. Does Kelly McCrimmon want to saddle himself with that cap hit when the goaltending room is loaded? Aside from Hart sticking around with a $2 million cap hit, you also have Carl Lindbom and Cameron Whitehead waiting in the wings. Cheaper options are always appealing to McCrimmon, especially when the Golden Knights have faith in the younger goaltenders.
Heck, even Akira Schmid could be a viable option if he trends in the right direction. The overall logjam could make things interesting for the Golden Knights. Why stick with a 29-year-old goaltender when you can go with younger options? Even Carter Hart is 27 years old and could lead fans to start a dialogue about who Vegas's true No. 1 netminder is.
It's also worth noting that Hill's no-trade list shrinks every two seasons. The likelihood of being traded out grows here when combined with the growing salary cap. Add in the youth movement in net and things get interesting fairly quickly.
Hill should stick around with the Golden Knights... for now
The aforementioned logistics behind a potential deal would make a current deal complicated for Vegas. Sure, some teams might be looking for a netminder since everyone signs them nowadays. But a trade this early would be surprising.
Then again, this is Kelly McCrimmon that we're talking about here. He's known for taking a home run swing on certain deals, whether it's acquiring big names like Tomas Hertl or Jack Eichel. That even involves sending goaltenders like Marc-Andre Fleury and Logan Thompson out of town. There's no reason to believe that the general manager can pull off another move before the trade deadline.
Golden Knights are whispering on all forums about Hill's future. They're discussing whether he could be on the team by the end of next season (or even this season). If the 29-year-old doesn't pick up the pieces or if he gets hurt again, those whispers could be even louder.