Nicolas Hague is getting his honky-tonk on with a trade to the Predators

So long, Nicolas Hague. We hardly knew ye'.

The Vegas Golden Knights and the Nashville Predators agreed to a trade on Sunday. The trade involved Hague, who finally got his payday. How much, you ask? Well, Elliotte Friedman has that answer.

$5.5 million AAV is something that Kelly McCrimmon certainly couldn't do, especially when you're trying to acquire a "Core Four" member. Therefore, Hague and a 2027 third round pick had to be sent out of town. But who's coming to the bright lights of Las Vegas in return?

According to Darren Dreger, that would be Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon. Sissons brings a goal-scoring touch to the Golden Knights, scoring 15 goals in 2023-24. He also hits hard, registering 100 hits in 72 games this past season.

As for Lauzon? He has even more hits to his name (1,132 in his seven-year career). He had 127 hits in a shortened 28-game season in 2024-25. The defenseman won't score much, so he's trending towards being a bottom-pairing player alongside Zach Whitecloud.

What does this mean for the Nashville Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights?

For the Predators, they get their big bottom-pairing defender who uses his size to his advantage. For a 6'6" guy who weighs 230 pounds, Hague can move fast for someone his size. Having the quick defenseman on the lower pairings will help Nashville get more range on the ice.

As for the Golden Knights? Sissons carries a cap hit of roughly $2.8 million while Lauzon has a hit of $2 million. However, Nashville will retain 50% of Sissons's hit, lessening the blow for Vegas. While these hits will diminish the salary cap space, it shouldn't take Mitch Marner out of the equation (at least, not yet).

There's still the Alex Pietrangelo situation. While that's unfortunate for the Golden Knights, it should open up $8.8 million in space to make a potential move happen. Whether that happens with all the tampering drama and hullabaloo remains to be seen. Don't forget Nicolas Roy is involved in trade talks, too.

However, you can't discount the positives that Lauzon and Sissons bring. Both players play a physical brand of hockey and should bolster the depth at their respective positions. For Sissons, he should replace Roy if he gets traded to Toronto or another place. For Lauzon, he's a punishing player who plays with a lot of grit.

Grading the Nicolas Hague deal

Overall, this trade gets a B. It seems appropriate to address a problem that plagued Vegas during the second round. Watching the Florida Panthers pummel the Edmonton Oilers into oblivion, it's a sign that McCrimmon was watching the Stanley Cup Final with intent.

What's more, McCrimmon could flip one of those players in a potential Marner deal. That jump off the books for Vegas and keep them in the running for the superstar winger. Let's not forget that both players are off the books after 2026. The acquisitions won't mean anything to the incoming deals for Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev.

This deal was bound to happen with the need to get better and more physical. With the rumors surrounding Marner and incoming extensions to Eichel and Dorofeyev, you had to do something. For Nicolas Hague, he gets paid. For the Golden Knights, they add much-needed depth.