On Wednesday, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman published a new edition of his Written 32 Thoughts. In the 14th thought, Friedman offhandedly revealed that Vegas Golden Knights starting goaltender Adin Hill’s injury is serious, and that he would be out for a few months.
With Hill injured, the Golden Knights don’t have a starting goaltender. They clearly don’t view Akira Schmid as a starter— just look at how they’re splitting games between him and Carl Lindbom. And Lindbom, albeit impressive, is just 22 with two NHL games under his belt.
There’s also Carter Hart, whom the Golden Knights recently signed to a two-year contract. However, Hart isn’t eligible to play until December 1st. He hasn’t played an NHL game in nearly two years, and even before the time away, his starting role was in question.
Losing Hill for that long isn’t good, but the Golden Knights can survive. They have the talent, and they’re extremely well-coached. However, a long-term injury to their starter is interesting for a few reasons.
To start, missing some time might actually be good for Hill in the long run, provided he makes a full recovery. Statistically, he performs better in the playoffs when he isn’t overworked in the regular season. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Hill’s worst playoff run came after he played a career-high 50 games in the regular season.
This isn’t as important, but this stretch of time might show the fanbase that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.
For just about as long as they’ve existed, the Golden Knights have been synonymous with goaltending controversy. When the team traded for Robin Lehner, fans turned their pitchforks on future Hall of Famer Marc-André Fleury. In no time at all, they shunned Lehner and cried for Fleury to retake the net.
Now, even though he backstopped the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup less than three years ago, the fanbase is ‘over’ Adin Hill.
Goaltending requires physical skill, of course, but most of the battle is waged between the ears. When the fans are behind a player, it does wonders for his confidence. When they’re not, the opposite happens. The front office knows that Hill is a good starter in this league; perhaps a few months away will remind the fanbase of that fact, too.
There’s one more person who could stand to benefit from Hill’s injury, and that’s Akira Schmid.
Schmid entered the year as the undisputed backup. However, that all changed very quickly. When the Golden Knights signed Hart, they essentially handed Schmid an eviction notice. On December 1st, his NHL job turns back into a pumpkin.
Now, with Hill out of the lineup for an extended period of time, Schmid gets to hit snooze on his alarm. He still has to get out of bed, but he gets 15 more minutes.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Let’s say Schmid plays lights out in this stretch. What happens when Hill returns from injury and Hart is eligible to play?
Make no mistake, three’s a crowd, and Schmid is the odd man out. The Golden Knights committed to Hill last season when they signed him to a six-year contract. And they wouldn’t have brought Hart in if they weren’t going to play him.
“Obviously, you’re aware of it,” said Schmid on Tuesday. “But you just have to go out there and play. At the end of the day, you want to help the team win, no matter the situation.”
The Golden Knights will delay this moment for as long as possible, but at some point, they’ll have to make a decision. When their team is fully healthy, they’ll be more than $2.5 million over the salary cap. That means risking sending players to the minors and risking losing them to waivers.
Running a three-goalie rotation is near impossible. No one can get into a groove, and they all end up ice cold. When Hill is healthy and Hart is eligible to play, the Golden Knights will probably send Schmid down.
Make no mistake, if the Golden Knights place Schmid on waivers, someone will claim him. He can be, at the very least, a good backup in this league, and he makes just $875,000.
Schmid certainly wants to help the team win. But he’s also human, and a fierce competitor. The better he plays down this stretch, the better the chances that he sticks around in the NHL– wherever that may be.