The Vegas Golden Knights will run it back with Adin Hill, the goalie who led them to the 2023 Stanley Cup, and recently signed Carter Hart, who led the club to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
The club’s third goalie will once again be Carl Lindbom, who played eight games last season, producing a 2-4-2 record with a .873 SV% and 3.00 GAA. However, those are not numbers to brag about, since Hill went 10-9-6 with an .870 SV% and 3.04 GAA. Among the names returning to the crease, Hart posted the best totals, 11-3-3 with a .891 SV% and 2.71 GAA.
At 22, Lindbom, the only goalie drafted by the Golden Knights, is the youngest of the trio, while Hart will be 27 and Hill will be 29. Although the ages of their goalies aren’t a significant factor for Vegas heading into next season, dividing the workload will be.
Despite having a Stanley Cup on his resume, Hill has only played more than 35 games in a single season once, in 2024-25, when he produced a 32-13-5 record, which led to playoff burnout when the Golden Knights bowed out in the second round to the Edmonton Oilers.
Interestingly, Hill has played only one game since March 30, 2026, a shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken on April 9, not skating a single minute in the Golden Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Adin Hill's lack of playing time means Hart is the de facto No. 1 goaltender
Ultimately, the lack of playing time suggests Hart is the club’s No. 1 goalie heading into the 2026-27 season. However, former head coach John Tortorella was a huge fan of Hart, dating back to their time together with the Philadelphia Flyers, which played a significant role in his decision to ride Hart through thick and thin.
As a second-round pick, 48th overall, in the 2016 NHL Draft, Hart was thrust right into the starter’s role with the Flyers, playing more than 40 games on three occasions, with a career-high 55 games in 2022-23.
That year, Philadelphia finished second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division, but Hart gave them everything with a 22-23-10 record, a respectable .907 SV% and 2.94 GAA.
Although Hart led the Flyers to one playoff appearance in six seasons, he left the team with a 96-93-29 record, a .906 SV%, and 2.94. Moreover, since debuting in the 2018-19 season, Hart has compiled the 22nd-highest SV% and the 29th-highest GAA among goalies with at least 200 games.
Carter Hart has the burden of carrying the Golden Knights to their second Stanley Cup
Heading into next season, Hart is Vegas' clear No. 1 goalie. However, it will be fascinating to see whether new head coach Ryan Craig manages the position differently from interim head coach John Tortorella did.
Craig knows Lindbom extremely well from their time together in Henderson, where the Swedish netminder compiled a 42-20-11 record with a .919 SV% and 2.41 GAA with six shutouts in the AHL. That familiarity could lead to a more balanced workload than Hart received during the Golden Knights' run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Going into the 2026-27 season, the only Pacific Division rival to completely overhaul their goaltending situation is the Edmonton Oilers, who brought in Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi to team with Tristan Jarry.
If the Golden Knights can replicate or exceed last season's successes, which will most likely fall on the shoulders of Hart, who will need to fend off up-and-coming teams like the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks, Vegas could repeat as division champions and make another run to the Final.
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