John Tortorella hasn't shied away from his preferred goaltender choice during his Golden Knights tenure. He's shied away from relying on embattled netminder Adin Hill and has relied more on Carter Hart. I mean, why wouldn't you ride the hot hand of a goaltender with a GAA of 1.66 and a save percentage of .930?
That's why Tortorella stuck with his old buddy for Game 1 against the Utah Mammoth. Sunday will see Hart get the start (Rhymes Like Dimes!) for the seventh time in April, taking on a Mammoth team that was averaging 3.27 goals per game this regular season.
Tortorella confirms Carter Hart will start Game 1 for VGK. No other changes to the lineup (maybe the lines).
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) April 19, 2026
But what about Hill, you ask? Well, he has been far worse than Hart this season, posting a GAA of 3.04 and a save percentage of .871. Do you think that the two-time Jack Adams award winner will stick with a man who's fallen off a cliff this season?
You're looking at a netminder with a Goals Saved Above Expected of -14.2. That isn't cutting the mustard, especially since you're working to build on the momentum sustained from the last eight games. When facing a superstar team with players like Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, you need that hot hand.
But there are other consequences for starting Hart in Game 1. In fact, the long-term ramifications cast a grim outlook on Hill's future with the Golden Knights. What other reasons are there to believe that the former Stanley Cup hero might not get his starting job back?
What Hart's Game 1 nod means for Adin Hill going forward
The story of Cinderella is a rather compelling tale of an abused woman who hopes for her Prince Charming. She's riding high and gets the beautiful gown and the carriage... that is, until midnight strikes. Suddenly, everything returns to normal as Cinderella stands in a tattered dress and a pumpkin in front of her.
That's basically Adin Hill, who doesn't have Bruce Cassidy's approval to be the team's de facto starter anymore. Mind you, Cassidy's goaltender choice drove Logan Thompson out of the franchise (as one reason, of course), leaving the Calgary native to mend the net.
And was Hill successful in his first season as the main netminder! He posted a GAA of 2.47, a save percentage of .906, and four shutouts. Yeah, those numbers aren't going to win a Vezina Trophy. But they did land Hill a nice six-year extension in March 2025.
However, a legion of injuries and back-up goalie-style play led to his downfall a season later. Lower-body injuries, combined with a new head coach, led to Hart getting the Game 1 nod.
Does that mean that Hill gets off-loaded this offseason?
Here's the complicated part. Hill's contract contains a modified no-trade clause that dwindles as the seasons go by. In 2026-27, the former Stanley Cup hero's list will be 10 teams. The next season and the season after, it'll be eight. The final season will only have six teams, giving Vegas more flexibility.
Therefore, don't buy too much stock into Hill being moved over the summer. A $6.25 million AAV contract isn't easy to move, specifically for a goaltender who fell off the production cliff. Few teams will bite on the bullet of having a fallen hero (production-wise), unless it's in a backup role.
Even with that, $6.25 million AAV is too much to give out to a backup netminder. What it does is show a lack of attention to the goaltender role in the past five years, leaving a carousel that is showing no end in sight.
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