The Golden Knights must be careful with overworking Adin Hill

Now, I know that Adin Hill is used to taking on a heavier workload. I mean, look at last season, where he started 50 games for the Vegas Golden Knights. Keep in mind that he posted a GAA of 2.47, a save percentage of .906, and four shutouts in 2024-25.

However, six straight starts after returning from a lower-body injury? That seems like quite a bit, especially when you have Akira Schmid perfectly healthy and fine. Still, that's the case for the Stanley Cup hero, who's making yet another start on Thursday. This time, it'll be against the Utah Mammoth, who happen to be... a playoff position team!

I mean, yeah, Hill has played well in his last five starts. He's posted a GAA of 1.62, along with a save percentage of .924, a GSAA of 3.12, and a GSAx of 5.75 (fourth-best in the NHL since March 8) entering Thursday. However, you must be careful with overworking your starter, especially when you have other options waiting in the wings.

As mentioned, Schmid is healthy and well, giving Vegas more than enough reason to give him a start. Sure, you have a back-to-back this weekend, with games against the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars. However, oveworking your netminder goes beyond merely wearing him out.

The Golden Knights must look at last season as a perfect warning for Adin Hill's workload

Last season, Hill didn't look like himself during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He posted a GAA of 2.93 and a save percentage of .887 in 2025. That's a far cry from his career postseason GAA of 2.41 and his career postseason save percentage of .917. Again, that goes back to starting 50 games last season.

Hill never started more than 40 games in his career before 2024-25. He's spent the majority of his career playing backup, never experiencing starter reps as a goaltender. It's a lot to ask for someone in Hill's position, especially when he's barely gotten any starter reps during his hockey career.

Sure, he's nowhere near close to achieving 50 starts this season. But it would be a grave mistake to put him in a compromised position, even it's a way to build his confidence. The lack of starter experience will catch up, especially when you have fresh legs waiting in the wings.

Why not go with Schmid and take a load off Hill?

This season, Akira Schmid has been servicable for the Golden Knights. The Swiss Olympian has a GAA of 2.61 and a save percentage of .893, making him a steady force in net for Vegas.

Considering that the Golden Knights have improved on the back-end with the acquisitions of Cole Smith and Nic Dowd, it'd be wise to see how Schmid would do here. He's shown he can handle backup duties without a hitch, dating back to his New Jersey Devils days.

That's not even mentioning that Carter Hart is getting closer to returning. The Golden Knights will get another netminder back into the mix, giving Bruce Cassidy more options to work with.

What will the Golden Knights do when all the pieces come back into the fold? Well, that remains to be seen. But one thing's certain: a fresh Adin Hill is much better for Vegas than people realize.