Before we dive into this post, there's one thing that must be said. Adin Hill wasn't great for the Vegas Golden Knights this postseason. He had a GAA of 2.93 and a save percentage of .887. But that wasn't even the worst part. His advanced stats told a bleaker story of an underwhelming performance throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs (stats courtesy of MoneyPuck).
Playoff Stats | Goals Saved Above Expected | Save % Above Expected | xGAA | GAA Better Than Expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Adin Hill | -4.2 | -0.0061 | 2.55 | -0.38 |
If Hill had played closer to the expected GAA, the Golden Knights would've been sticking around a little longer. Alas, that's not reality, for Vegas is hitting the links and sitting atop Circa at Stadium Swim.
However, that doesn't mean there's uncertainty at the position. Bruce Cassidy knew this and had a thought-provoking statement on the matter.
Of course, life would've been much easier if top stars like Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev scored in the second round. But fans already knew about those problems. You can't win playoff games if you score one goal or fewer.
Still, let's look at the goaltender position in a nutshell. It was originally a position with plenty of question marks heading into last offseason. Nobody knew what would happen with Hill or Logan Thompson before late June 2024 hit.
But this offseason? Not so much. It's all because one other Golden Knights goaltender has brought back said stability.
The Vegas Golden Knights have a goaltending tandem again in Adin Hill and Akira Schmid
Ilya Samsonov has been the most eye-gauging goaltender the Vegas Golden Knights have ever had. His erratic style and inconsistent play led to a paltry 2024-25 season. How so?
The Russian netminder had a GAA of 2.82 and a save percentage of .891. Essentially, he was 2025 playoff Adin Hill, only for 29 regular-season games.
It's safe to say that Samsonov isn't returning after getting a one-year, $1.8 million deal. So, who could be taking his place in hopes of not being a complete blunder? Enter Akira Schmid.
Looking at his garbage time reps in April shows a promising sign for the Swiss goaltender. He had a GAA of 1.47 and a save percentage of .936. He went toe-to-toe with a loaded Colorado Avalanche team and got a point, losing in a shootout, 3-2. Now that's ballsy.
What makes Schmid special for Kelly McCrimmon?
Let's go back to the Samsonov deal for a second. That's $1.8 million off the books for the Golden Knights for the offseason. But Schmid carries a cap hit of $875,000 until 2026. So long and sayonara to spending nearly $2 million on mediocre Russian goaltenders.
What's more is that Schmid is a restricted free agent after 2026. He can get a slight pay bump after that season, which is manageable. That includes Jack Eichel's potential contract extension, which could fetch $12-$14 million in AAV.
Throw in the fact he's 25 years old and you have a goaltender set in a system for years to come. Of course, that comes with the stipulation that he'll stay viable during the later years. But the cost-effectiveness will be enticing enough for McCrimmon to focus on other areas.
Perhaps he'll get a scoring winger or two. Maybe he'll obtain more draft picks and trade one of his many defensemen. He might defy logic and get a goaltender anyway. Who knows? Whatever the case, the goaltender position looks to be safe thanks to the newfound duo in tow.