After learning that Robin Lehner would miss the entire 2022-23 season back in August, many questioned what the Vegas Golden Knights would do with their goaltending position.
Unlike what we have seen from this organization in the past, they didn’t go out and make a big splash for a netminder. Instead, they acquired Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick, a goalie who has only 74 games of experience at the NHL level. This made it seem quite clear at the time that they were confident in what they had with Logan Thompson, and the same can be said months later.
At this time, the Golden Knights still have three goalies on their roster in Thompson, Hill and Michael Hutchinson. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed that Thompson is leading the way in the goaltending competition, meaning the other two are battling for the backup role. One would think it’s Hill’s job to lose at this point, but no decision has been made just yet. It is also worth noting that Laurent Brossoit may very well take that role back over once he is able to return from offseason hip surgery.
This news continues what has been a serious emergence for Thompson as a prospect over the past two seasons. The undrafted 25-year-old has seen his stock raise tremendously, in large part thanks to a great showing in 2021-22 with the Golden Knights in which Thompson recorded a stellar 2.68 goals against average (GAA) along with a .914 save percentage (SV%). That said, he only has 20 career games at the NHL level, meaning that relying on him as the starter is a serious risk for a team that has a ton of pressure on them heading into the 2022-23 campaign. This will be an interesting situation to watch play out as the year progresses.
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