Knights face key question this offseason: What happens with Hague?

The Golden Knights have plenty of things on their to-do list this summer.

They have to decide which of their pending free agents to retain. They must determine which potential additions to pursue, like free-agent right wing Mitch Marner.

The Knights are also at a crossroads with defenseman Nic Hague. The 26-year-old is a restricted free agent this summer and needs a new contract. Hague, who has 83 points in 364 games since being selected in the second round of the 2017 draft, had a $2.294 million annual cap hit on the previous three-year extension he signed in October 2022.

He must sign his new deal by 2 p.m. Dec. 1 to be eligible to play next season.

“We’ve got time with Nic Hague,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said after the Knights season ended in May. “I think our players want to play here, so I don’t anticipate that being an issue, but I don’t know that.”

It shouldn’t take Hague until the winter to get a new contract. Especially because teams will have money to spend this offseason. The upper limit of the NHL’s salary cap, which was $88 million last season, is jumping up to $95.5 million for 2025-26.

That could lead teams with spending power to target Hague. The Knights will ultimately have a say in what happens, however, because they retain his signing rights.

Changing of the guard

Restricted free agents tend to stay with their current teams since they have less leverage than unrestricted free agents, who are free to sign with any club they want.

But last summer offered a reminder that there is a way for restricted free agents to push for an exit — offer sheets.

The St. Louis Blues tendered offer sheets to Edmonton Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg and left wing Dylan Holloway on Aug. 13. Broberg signed a two-year, $9.16 million contract with the Blues, while Holloway inked a two-year, $4.58 million deal.

Once both players agreed to terms with St. Louis, the Oilers had seven days to match those offers. If they did, they would have retained both skaters. Instead, Edmonton declined to match the contracts and both players went to the Blues. The Oilers received a second-round pick for Broberg and a third-round pick for Holloway as compensation, based on the value of the deals the players signed.

The moves were a huge gamble by St. Louis. Broberg and Holloway were the 11th and 12th players to sign an offer sheet since the NHL’s salary cap was put in place in 2005, but became just the third and fourth players to actually switch teams.

The fact the Blues were successful could embolden other clubs to give offer sheets a shot this summer. Broberg and Holloway became lineup regulars for St. Louis and helped the team make the playoffs for the first time in three years.

“I think with the outcome of last summer’s offer sheets … it’s certainly going to be a talking point around the NHL, I think not only in the media, but in front offices,” McCrimmon said. “With the cap going up, if that team wishes not to lose that player, a team probably has a little more flexibility to prevent that with some cap growth. Circumstances have to be there for an offer sheet to work.”

Now what?

That raises the question of what happens with Hague.

The Knights have $9.615 million in cap space with nine forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders under contract. They need to make multiple moves to fill out their roster.

The Knights must extend Hague a qualifying offer worth $2.294 million by June 30 to retain his rights. They could also trade him or accept compensation if he decides to sign an offer sheet.

Moving Hague, possibly during the NHL draft Friday or Saturday, would give the Knights extra money to address their forward group. It would also open up more playing time for young defenseman Kaedan Korczak next season. The 24-year-old had 10 points in 40 games and looks ready to play every night.

The Knights could also decide Hague, a homegrown member of their Stanley Cup championship team in 2023, is too valuable to let walk away. Especially because there are questions about defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s status for next season, according to a report from Sportsnet.

The Knights have not commented on Pietrangelo’s potential availability for next year.

The team still has time to determine what to do with Hague. It’ll be one of their first key decisions in an offseason that should be full of them.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.