(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
It’s no surprise that the wheels are beginning to spin behind the scenes. Yesterday, Sportsnet delivered a message that Golden Knights restricted free agent defenseman Nic Hague could become available to teams across the league. Some clubs that reportedly have interest in the 26-year-old defenseman are the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs and even some Pacific Division teams. Let’s be honest, most teams are in the market for an enormous and physical Stanley Cup winning defenseman. No matter what his asking price is, Hague will likely get close to it with a new club.
An RFA with arbitration rights and just one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency, 26-year-old defenseman Nic Hague is looking for big money on his next deal. Since Vegas has already committed a lot of money to Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin on the back end, Hague appears to be the odd man out at this time. – Nick Kypreos, former NHL’er and Sportsnet analyst
Losing Hague would be a big loss for VGK’s blueline but sometimes business comes first. As Golden Knights fans have witnessed since the 2018 offseason, players come, and players leave. Plus, Vegas has three defensemen earning more than $7M annually. In this current cap economy, it would be difficult to sign another d-man to an expensive extension. Additionally, if Vegas could sign-and-trade Hague they could potentially max out their return bounty for him. With the abundance of interest, it won’t be difficult for VGK’s front office to negotiate the right exchange.
Not only has Hague been rumored to be on the block but so has center William Karlsson and winger Ivan Barbashev. While moving Karlsson would make little to no sense, moving on from Barbashev does.
The Golden Knights are seeking an impactful top six wing for the 2025-26 season and being able to free up $5M will make it much easier to acquire an elite one.
We know this is a team that can get very active on the trade market. They want to create cap space and perhaps chase some of the bigger free agents this summer, such as Mitch Marner.
So, Ivan Barbashev is considered one of their most movable pieces, a 23-goal, 51-point scorer this season who’s making $5 million against thev salary cap for another three years. The 29-year-old would be an interesting target for teams that are looking to bolster their offence, such as Ottawa or Carolina. Barbashev does have an eight-team no-trade list. – Kypreos
According to PuckPedia, as of today the Golden Knights have $9.62M of projected cap space to play around with. Marner, this summer’s biggest catch, will cost anywhere from $12.5M to $15M per season. For Vegas to make a competitive offer, they would need to keep an open mind on which current players they can win without next season. Barbashev and Hague could be two of them.
Emmanuel
Team needs young blood, id rather give Holtz a chance than Saad or Reilly.
Bring back picks in exchange for Hague. Moving Barbashev is an issue as hes the only true top 6 LW. Move Doro to LW permanently?
Remember the “2 good players with a 3rd passenger” BS? It didnt work.
Need a legit top 6, & a checking line.
JB
It would be a very dumb move to pay 12-15 mil for Marner. We need a couple tuff wingers who can score 20 goals or so!
larry
If Hague is an ‘enormous and physical’ physical defenseman why couldnt he have been coached and encouraged to use that frame more often to establish that presence in the defensive corners and especially in front of the goal?
Personally Im not thinking there is that much trade value he possesses to bring any type of return thats needed on the winger side, additionally is some team actually going to throw money at him and lock him up long term for like the unfathomable Stephenson money of $6 million?
Emmanuel
I just read an article that called the Stephenson signing the worst of summer and its not like he declined, he had a typical Stephenson season.
hdbiker7851
Yes, Hague is big but never used that to his or the team’s advantage. Size means nothing if you’re a wimp which by actions appears to be the case. That said, I am not sure any of this posting concerning whose to go or stay accomplish anything in fact it could very well do the opposite. When the FO does their thing then is the time for comments.
Jose
Hague is a wimp????
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/oilers-hyman-shaken-up-after-taking-hit-from-golden-knights-hague/
https://youtu.be/jEwmu22IlmQ
https://youtu.be/-KPy_SoTqMw
TS
I’ve wondered the same. He was more agressive in lower leagues, i was told…so what hpnd to him? Cold feet?Glass jaw? Aversion to the Penalty Box?
Larry
….. and a typical Stephenson season would have been in the very accepted neighborhood of $3.5-$4 million!
Donald J Trump
lib tard heads are exploding again
BREAKING
“In what economists are calling a historic shift in the U.S. trade balance, the trade deficit narrowed by a staggering $76.7 billion in April, falling from $138.3 billion in March to just $61.6 billion — the largest monthly improvement on record. And the reason? A potent combination of tariff-induced import drops and surging American exports.”
Emmanuel
VGK podcast claims Pearson on way out.
ThG
what kind of normal parent would let their well loved, adjusted child participate in this freak show run by bunch of circus clown weirdos ?
“Oregon middle school hosts ‘Drag Day’ encouraging students to cross-dress during Pride Week
Students told to ‘dress like a &%*^ queen or king and their ‘queer hero’ during school’s ‘Pride Spirit Week'”
TS
W T F does this PERVERSE SHIT have to do with HOCKEY, loser?? Are you fixated on this SHIT?? Do you Get your rocks off on this PERVERSE SHIT??
Tim
Pete DeBoar on the move nothing personal I just never could figure why we hired him after the San Jose debacle the year before. In the NHL of round robin coaching he’ll land somewhere and to be objective he’ll do a decent job.
JB
They let go of a coach that took them to the WC finals three years in a row? Wow! Not a DeBore fan but I think he is certainly ne of the top ten in the league!
NAM
LOL Pete DeBoer!! I am a Stars fan too and was super pissed I finally got rid of the guy in Vegas only for him to go to my second favorite team. He has some coaching ability, but loses the locker room at every stop. Glad to see him follow his pattern.
hdbiker7851
Nam – I am not a PD fan but Not sure your glee or anyone else is anything to be proud of – the guy like most people is a human being – being fired doesn’t help your resume. The players are not robots that you wind up and send into battle – the Stars loosing had as much to do with them as Pete – you can’t fire them but you can the coach, so heads had to roll. Time for Pete to leave the baggage (staff) that comes along with him as they are not helping his cause.
NAM
PDB will have a job within two weeks. I am not sad for multimillionaire coaches that shit on players and fans. He is still a better coach than a lot of the rotating coaches out there, with the caveat of it only lasts about 3 years at each stop, but he will be fine. He won’t be collecting food stamps any time soon. I mean he is still making 4.25 Million for this next year. What will he do?
And as for the glee. I have no “glee”. Glee is for chicks. I am fucking super excited, pointing my finger and fucking laughing, because fuck that guy. It doesn’t really have a word and is usually represented by the middle finger. The best thing EVER to happen to VGK, outside of year one, was him getting fired and Cassidy taking us to the cup immediately.
Larry
Not to toot my own horn…. Toot toot!!….but I predicted the pdb firing before during and after that last series…that if his team was ineffectual and went out with a whimper in 5 games he would be shown the door…. Along with his sidekick spott… the stars I’m sure wanted to fire him the day after elimination but didn’t want their decision to be a knee-jerk one… he no doubt will be scooped up in the near future for his next gig.
Larry
Parenthetically not to toot my own horn again…. Toot toot…. I also predicted the whole Musk saga here in SinBin as well…the last piece of that puzzle will be him being embraced as a savior my the democrats cnn and msnbc… he will be their darling going forward.
hockeyfan
If in fact you did predict such a scenario then congratulations in having done so though not sure need to toot your horn about it, or even about Musk either, maybe you can use those magical mystical prediction powers as to who will win the Finals, of course your not rooting for the Oilers but maybe can go into front office and find out how they will make the vgk stronger next year?
TS
I’m not surprised at PDB’S exit. I expected it. Wasn’t a question of IF, but WHEN. He CHOKED.