Carter Hart has earned major trust in Vegas, giving head coach Ryan Craig another proven option in the crease entering the new season.
This is surprising to say the least, considering Hart's poor performance in this past season's postseason.
Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon made his position clear when discussing Hart and Adin Hill, backing the tandem rather than opening the door to major change.
Hart's strongest argument came during Vegas' postseason run. His work down the stretch helped push the Golden Knights all the way back to the Stanley Cup Final.
That performance clearly stayed with McCrimmon. The Vegas executive singled Hart out when explaining why he feels comfortable with the club's goaltending setup.
“Carter, for me, made a great impression getting us right to the Stanley Cup Final,” McCrimmon said.
-
Those words matter because Vegas isn't treating Hart like insurance behind Hill. His playoff work gave the organization another goaltender it can trust when the pressure rises.
Carter Hart has changed the conversation in Vegas
Hill remains a major part of the plan, but McCrimmon acknowledged that last season didn't go the way the organization expected for him.
Vegas still chose to keep Hill in place. Rather than reshaping the crease, management is betting on a rebound while giving Hart a clear path to meaningful starts.
McCrimmon's confidence in the pairing was summed up with another direct statement: “I think we're in good shape at that position.”
That puts Ryan Craig in an interesting spot. He doesn't need to force one goaltender into a massive workload when both have already shown they can handle important games.
Hart also enters the season with fresh organizational credibility. A strong playoff run can change deployment quickly, and his performance gave Vegas every reason to keep leaning on him.
The bigger question now is how the starts are divided once the schedule gets moving. Hill has history with the organization, but Hart has given the front office something difficult to ignore.
Vegas isn't entering camp searching for an answer in net. McCrimmon believes he already has two of them, and Hart's standing inside the organization has never looked stronger.
Should Carter Hart start more games than Adin Hill this season?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Max Domi makes life-changing admission after surgery complications this summer
