The Golden Knights need more than Adin Hill to solve their goaltending lapses

Vegas Golden Knights fans were treated to a surprisingly good update on Saturday. No, they already knew about Jack Eichel returning to the Golden Knights. That wasn't even enough to curb their stinker of an awful stretch. Instead, it involved the forgotten goaltender known as Adin Hill.

Like the McRib, the streets are saying that Adin Hill was sighted in Chicago. Granted, it took a bit of time to reveal the man behind the mask (unless you recognize Hill's mask from afar). Plus, we still don't know when he'll actually be back. However, the reveal also shows that the Golden Knights have a good problem on their hands.

You see, Vegas may carry three goaltenders this season down the road. They might also trade Schmid for a draft pick or two. Who knows? That's a discussion for another day.

With Schmid being a steady hand, albeit not enough to be a starter, and Carter Hart cooling off in recent weeks, the Golden Knights could use a fresh body to take the load off. Why not a Stanley Cup winner like Hill? Last season, he posted career-best stats in GAA (2.47) and shutouts (four), making him a reliable contributor throughout the regular season. In fact, he's stolen some games for the Golden Knights, leading them to a Pacific Division title.

But what if I told you that it takes more than Hill to solve the goaltending issue for Vegas? What if all those blown leads and unanswered goals weren't just because of the netminding in recent weeks? You probably know what's happening with the team healthwise. But the Calgary native isn't going to be the Band-Aid that fixes everything for the Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights need some defensive depth to block shots and protect their netminders, including Adin Hill

I'm also talking about missing both top-pair defensemen in Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb. Both players leave behind a massive back-end void, leaving the Golden Knights' netminders prone to dangerous chances. Looking at the statlines show why the two Misfits are extremely crucial to the team's success (minimum 250 minutes, stats courtesy of MoneyPuck).

On a short scale, it appears that the Misfits don't do too much in deterring overall shot attempts. However, the duo has done excellent work in taking away good shooting lanes. In turn, it takes the pressure off the netminding, whether that's Hill, Hart, or Schmid.

Missing these two Misfits on the blue line has had dire consequences for the Golden Knights, as a result. Fans have watched Jaycob Megna stall on the blue line, giving opposing attackers all sorts of space. The result? Tyler Bertuzzi is getting a hat trick and embarrassing the Golden Knights on Sunday.

Why not add William Karlsson to the mix?

What if I told you that not having William Karlsson around also hurts Vegas defensively? The Swedish center's specialties lie in deterring opponents from gaining the middle of the ice. He'd do this by pushing them along the boards, taking away their space in the process.

Again, Bertuzzi has all the time and space in the world on Sunday without Karlsson around. As a result, Vegas hasn't been able to defend the slot or the boards as well as they would've liked. That has led to unanswered goal streaks, putting their backs against the wall.

So, how do you solve this? Well, one answer's obvious: get your key players back. Getting Hill back is a good start since he naturally takes up space in net. But it doesn't do him any justice if he doesn't have defenders taking away space from opposing attackers, i.e., McNabb, Theodore, or Karlsson.

There's also the patented Kelly McCrimmon route of acquiring a gritty two-way player, whether that's a winger (Kiefer Sherwood) or a defenseman (Rasmus Andersson). These can fill in the gaps in the present, while adding more bodies in the future. Whatever the case, Golden Knights fans can't just rely on Hill's return to patch up everything. They need more bodies to fill the void (better than hitting the floor, if you ask me).