Graney: Hill needs to prove deal was smart one by Knights

Adin Hill got paid. Now, he gets to prove it was a smart decision by the Golden Knights.

The team signed their Stanley Cup champion goalie Friday to a two-year, $9.8 million deal, keeping the pending unrestricted free agent from jumping into the pool with other potential suitors.

He could have surveyed the landscape when free agency began. Could have seen what other riches might have been for the taking. But he obviously wanted to remain in Las Vegas. He knows a (very) good thing when he sees and experiences it.

If you go strictly by what Hill did in the playoffs — being in net for the team’s final 11 wins and leading all starters with a .932 save percentage — the decision to bring him back was an uncomplicated one. He was beyond terrific.

Yes. It’s a large chunk of change. Perhaps too large. But it also won’t matter if Hill can continue coming close to the standard he set the last month. Not an easy ask of anyone. Improbable (impossible?) even.

Important fact: He hasn’t played more than 27 games in any season and has an NHL career save percentage of .910. Despite his incredible Stanley Cup run, there remains much to prove over the long and arduous course of an entire schedule.

Can he hold up?

He’ll have plenty of help.

Stellar system

The Knights played five goalies this past season, and at times it didn’t seem to matter who was in net. That’s because, on most nights, the defensive system of coach Bruce Cassidy was so ridiculously stellar. Best blue line in hockey. Hill and others had all sorts of help from those in front of them.

And will continue to do so.

“I think we’ll be able to return our team almost intact, which is pretty uncommon for a Stanley Cup winner,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said this week before the Hill signing. “That was our objective when went went into free agency.”

They will be among the favorites to win it all again because of it. Back-to-back isn’t easy by any means, but the talent is there for the Knights to make a legitimate run at it. Health is always a concern for them. It wasn’t during the race to 16 playoff wins.

McCrimmon and president of hockey operations George McPhee built a championship roster. So there has to be some deserved benefit of the doubt when evaluating what few but significant moves they have made since their team skated around T-Mobile Arena holding aloft a silver Cup. They aren’t as deep now as they were then. Young names have lots to prove.

Sometimes, guys just take advantage of a situation. Hill did so better than anyone could have imagined. He wasn’t the starter when the playoffs began — the now departed Laurent Brossoit got the nod — but began his memorable journey when the latter was injured in the second round against Edmonton.

Rewarded him

A popular signing? Hill wore that Larry Johnson jersey to the team’s celebratory parade. That alone endeared him even more to a town that already targeted him as one of their favorite Knights. For good reason. He was third in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP.

What the Knights did, essentially, was give Hill the money of Robin Lehner, who’s under contract at $5 million annually but spent last season on long-term injured reserve. Seems that will be his fate again. There are other ways to handle such a situation.

What it all means: Hill and rookie All-Star Logan Thompson will likely be manning the net for the Knights to begin next season. How many games each plays — McPhee talked earlier about a tandem being more beneficial nowadays than overtaxing a starter — is unknown.

The Knights could have gone a different way with their goalies. Could have let Hill walk and spent far less on the position. But they chose to pay him, to reward him for what he did in helping win a title.

Now all Adin Hill has to do is prove it the correct decision.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter