Golden Knights re-sign former second-round pick Nic Hague to three-year deal

It took basically all of training camp but the Golden Knights have worked out a deal with RFA defenseman Nic Hague, announcing that they’ve signed him to a three-year contract. 

The deal will carry an AAV of $2,294,150 which allows them to best maximize their LTIR pool once season-opening rosters are submitted later today. 

PuckPedia reports that the deal breaks down as follows:

2022-23: $750K salary, $1.95M signing bonus
2023-24: $775K salary, $707,450 signing bonus
2024-25: $2.7M salary

Hague was an early second-round pick (34th overall) back in 2017, Vegas’ first year of participating in the draft. He has turned out to be a solid selection as the 23-year-old has quickly become an important piece on their back end. Last season, he played in 52 games, recording 14 points while averaging a career-high 18:40 per game. In his three-year career, he has 10 goals and 32 helpers in 142 contests.

With Vegas being tight to the cap even with Shea Weber, Nolan Patrick, and Robin Lehner all on LTIR for the entire season, a short-term bridge deal was the expected route for both sides to take. 

This deal ensures that the Golden Knights will still have Hague under team control at the end of it as he’ll have one RFA year remaining where he’ll be owed a $2.7M qualifying offer with salary arbitration rights. 

As for that cap situation, this contract puts them within $17 of their fully-maximized LTIR pool; Laurent Brossoit will then likely be added to that pool tomorrow to create room for extra recalls until he’s able to return.