The San Jose Sharks have been searching for goaltending help, and Adin Hill could've been an answer.
The San Jose Sharks haven't found their No. 1 goalie since Martin Jones was bought out.
Experiments with James Reimer, Kaapo Kahkonen, and Adin Hill haven't really worked out. Hill is now on his way to starting Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final for the Vegas Golden Knights.
While with San Jose, Hill posted a record of 10-11-1 with a 2.66 GAA and a .906 save%. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but given what Kahkonen has done in his time in Teal, these numbers are respectable.
In two years with the Sharks, Kahkonen owns a 3.64 GAA and a .890 save%.
The reason why the Sharks moved on from Hill was his ability, or lack thereof, to stay healthy. Hill started the 2021-22 season healthy for the Sharks, but once the calendar turned to January, everything changed.
According to CapFriendly, Hill was listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury on Jan. 26 and wasn't cleared to play until March 12. Just two days later, Hill sustained another lower-body injury and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the season on April 19.
Hill's injury was one of the main reasons Kahkonen was brought in from the Minnesota Wild.
His injury woes continued in Vegas. Although he was considered the backup netminder to Logan Thompson, Hill was pushed forward to be the No. 1 guy at the start of February.
Hill sustained his own injury on Feb. 20 but returned five days later. On March 9, Hill suffered another injury and was not cleared until April 7.
Hill is listed at 6'4 215 lbs, and for the San Jose Sharks, the inability to stay healthy was not something they could afford. By no means was San Jose looking for a guy to play 60+ games a season, but Hill's most games played in a season was 27. That was this year for VGK.
Before the 21-22 season, the San Jose Sharks and Hill went to an arbitration hearing and signed a two-year contract with a cap hit of $2.175 million AAV.
Hill was okay in San Jose, but his injuries prevented him from getting a second chance. Hill was also brought in under Doug Wilson, and with the major trade with the Carolina Hurricanes that sent Brent Burns and brought over Eetu Makiniemi by Mike Grier, that could've changed things.
Hill has a chance to prove himself as a viable 1B starter in the NHL, given his recent run in this season's playoffs. In 11 games this postseason, Hill is 7-3 with a 2.07 GAA and a .937 save%.
VGK has a better defense and roster than the San Jose Sharks, but Hill showed promise during his time in San Jose. The timing of the marriage between the two sides just did not work.