Carter Hart enters the Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltending picture with a real chance to lock down the job for a while, but he won’t be doing it alone.
The Golden Knights have no shortage of options in net. Hart and Adin Hill are both in the mix, while Carl Lindbom and Cameron Whitehead are waiting behind them as promising prospects. That depth helps explain why Vegas moved Akira Schmid to the Florida Panthers, and it also shows how much faith the organization has in Hart as a reliable answer in goal.
Still, Hart is the name to watch. He is the No. 1 goaltender, and after getting hammered by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final, he is looking for a bounce-back season in 2026-27.
The rough final series doesn’t erase what came before it, though. Hart had been strong until the chaos around him took over, with bad turnovers and a defense that was described as transparent working against him. That’s why the path forward is as much about the team in front of him as it is about Hart himself.
If Vegas tightens things up defensively, Hart should benefit right away. The job for the skaters is simple: protect the puck, take away clean looks, and keep opponents from getting inside. When that doesn’t happen, mistakes like Rasmus Andersson’s 102 giveaways from last season can turn into problems fast.
Hart also has to be sharper in those broken plays. A sudden turnover in his own zone leaves little time to react, but a quick glove can shut things down before they spiral.
If he gets that help and handles those moments better, Hart could be in line for a second act in Las Vegas - and maybe one that lasts longer and pays more.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Face A Brutal Original Misfit Decision In Future Expansion Draft
The Golden Knights are already looking ahead to a problem every successful expansion franchise eventually has to face: what happens when the league adds another team and the protection list gets squeezed. Any future Expansion Draft would force Vegas to sort through the familiar headache of deciding which core pieces are safe, and one of the names that inevitably comes up is William Karlsson, whose value has been built over years of steady, versatile work.
Karlsson has been one of the original misfits who helped define this team from the start, which is why the possibility of exposing him carries real weight. There is no Expansion Draft on the calendar right now, but the NHL could add clubs down the line, and for Vegas that means a decision rooted in contract structure, roster math and loyalty to one of the players who helped make the Golden Knights matter from day one. [Read more 🡒]