The Golden Knights enter Season 10 with a goalie situation familiar to how they’ve started each of the last four years. Carter Hart, after starting all 22 games in the playoffs, is the clear starter, while Adin Hill will serve as his backup. Last season, Hill was the starter with Schmid behind him; the year before it was Hill and Thompson; and the year VGK won the Cup started with Thompson starting over Hill.
Through it all, the man behind the decisions has not changed. Director of Goaltending Sean Burke took the job before the 2022-23 season and remains in that position for this season.
His history has clearly shown that he favors one goalie over another but uses both consistently, even when there are not back-to-back games on the schedule. Based on the previous four seasons, it seems like his preferred split is around 65% to the starter and 35% to the backup. He also swaps goalies every time there’s a back-to-back, even in the event of injury.
First 20 Games
2022-23
Starter: 13
Backup: 7
B2Bs: 1
2023-24
Starter: 12
Backup: 8
B2Bs: 3
2024-25
Starter: 13
Backup: 7
B2Bs: 2
2025-26
Starter: 13
Backup: 7
B2Bs: 3
Things got a little hairy last season when Adin Hill suffered an injury that forced him to miss a game, then returned, and was immediately forced back out for a few months. Through that, Burke (and Cassidy at the time) continued to rotate goalies, using Carl Lindbom eight times in a 17-game span before Carter Hart was eligible to play.
In VGK’s first 20 games this season, there are two back-to-backs, both with consecutive road games. Hill be likely in net for the second of those, on October 13th at Nashville and November 3rd at Pittsburgh. Hart certainly has the home opener and probably will be right back in there for the second game of the season three nights later against Anaheim. Then, there will likely be a rotation that should look something like this…
