Even with the Vegas Golden Knights’ goalie Adin Hill's injury-marred season, General Manager Kelly McCrimmon made a choice that many couldn’t have seen coming amidst free agency.

Lower-body injuries limited Hill to 27 starts this season, and McCrimmon acknowledged the struggle. But as per multimedia sports journalist Taylor Rocha’s latest X post, the GM backed him anyway.

“I think we have a great tandem... I think Adin is going to bounce back,” he said, according to Rocha’s post on July 2. “I think he's a good goalie that had a tough season. We need him to revert to form. I expect that he will.”

According to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Danny Webster, Hill started a career-high 50 games in the 2025 season. But as his performance this year sparked trade speculation, McCrimmon shut it down.

“McCrimmon also said Carter Hart "made a great impression getting us straight to the Stanley Cup Final" and that Vegas is "really comfortable" with Carl Lindbom as its No. 3 goaltender,” wrote Rocha of the GM. "I think we're in good shape at that position."

Although Vegas’ former coach John Tortorella benched Hill in the postseason, relying just on Hart, McCrimmon weighed in on the Hill-Hart tandem. Moreover, he had different plans.

Kelly McCrimmon's Defense Overhaul Complements Goaltending Stability

McCrimmon’s two main goals were to clear the salary cap while taking care of his own free agents, Webster wrote in another Las Vegas Review-Journal article published on July 1, 2026. In the process, the GM ended up tightening up the defense.

“We had some expiring contracts that we had to make decisions on and get those taken cared of. We’ve done that,” McCrimmon said of the 13 signings the Golden Knights had on the first day of NHL free agency, 8 being the team’s own free agents.

The team locked defensemen Rasmus Andersson in a 7-year, $59.5 million contract and Jeremy Lauzon in a 6-year, $24 million extension.

They also traded Kaedan Korczak to acquire Parker Wotherspoon from the Pittsburgh Penguins. A two-year deal is bringing back Dylan Coghlan to replace Ben Hutton as the seventh defenseman.

But now, how this newly fortified defense functions with the existing goaltending will be an intriguing watch.

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Written by

Deblina Roy