It seems that the Philadelphia Flyers have some surprising competition for the services of Nicolas Hague. Not one, but two (!) teams are targeting the 26-year-old in a potential trade with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Those teams? The Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
According to @RealKyper, the Canadiens and the Penguins are in "hot pursuit" to acquire left-handed defenseman Nicolas Hague đź‘€ Do you think this would be a good move? pic.twitter.com/ic90ntjwdu
— HFTV (@HFTVSports) June 8, 2025
Now that's excellent news for the Golden Knights? How, you ask? For starters, the Penguins and Canadiens have plenty of draft picks to deal in a potential trade.
Like the Flyers, who have 11 picks in this year's draft, the Penguins also have 11. Montreal? They have 12. That includes nine picks in the first four rounds.
Both clubs also have some cap space to work with. According to PuckPedia, Pittsburgh has $24,500,237 while the Canadiens have $6,105,834. Kelly McCrimmon would probably prefer a trade with the Penguins since it's easier to maneuver. However, the more suitors, the better.
On that note, there are a couple more reasons why this is excellent news. Any general manager would love to have more teams lining up for a 6'6" defenseman who's 26. But it's not just because he's a giant.
Why a load of interest in Nicolas Hague is great for the Golden Knights
I was genuinely surprised by the amount of interest in Hague. I only expected a couple of teams to be interested in the 26-year-old. There are some issues with his game, such as him not being a scoresheet regular.
However, teams have looked at his size and defensive capabilities and have seen that as a positive. Not only can he block shots (489 career shots blocked in six seasons), but he can lay out people (572 career hits).
That should be enough to give teams plenty of interest in the Kitchener native. That also bodes well for Kelly McCrimmon on numerous fronts. For one, he can weigh a trade package that best benefits the Golden Knights. When you give a general manager like McCrimmon this opportunity, you let him control the field.
Of course, it also frees up the defenseman logjam that Vegas has. While there's uncertainty about Alex Pietrangelo's whereabouts in 2025-26, you still have six starting defensemen ready with one in the press box. Therefore, muchos gracias to whoever takes his looming contract off his hands.
Some fans might not recognize this. But this summer is a turning point for the Vegas Golden Knights. Your divisional rivals are picking up steam, with one competing for the Stanley Cup. Therefore, making like Aaron Judge and hitting a home run this offseason is paramount. What better way than to do that than by controlling the Hague trade talks?