Latest news with #NicolasHague
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
NHL Trade Rumors: Canadiens and Penguins locked in trade war over Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague
Nicolas Hague is attracting significant trade interest as the NHL offseason approaches (Getty Images) As the NHL offseason approaches, trade chatter is intensifying—and one name drawing major attention is Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague. According to veteran insider Nick Kypreos, the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins, a franchise valued at $1.75 billion by Forbes, are reportedly 'hot on the trail' of the 26-year-old blueliner. NHL trade buzz grows louder as Canadiens and Penguins eye Golden Knights' Nicolas Hague In his recent Toronto Star column, Kypreos highlighted how the scarcity of quality unrestricted free agent defensemen this offseason is pushing Hague's trade value to the forefront. With the Golden Knights facing salary cap constraints, the possibility of moving Hague is becoming increasingly real. 'There aren't many quality UFA defencemen out there, so that makes Nicolas Hague of the Golden Knights a very attractive trade chip if and when Vegas decides to move him because of limited salary-cap space. I'm hearing the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins are hot on the trail to potentially trade for him,' Kypreos wrote. The Penguins aren't the only ones circling. Renowned NHL insider Elliotte Friedman also mentioned the Philadelphia Flyers as another suitor. With both the Flyers and Penguins in search of a left-shot defenseman, the race to land Hague could spark a fierce bidding war between division rivals. Originally selected 34th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by Vegas, Hague has spent six solid seasons with the team. In 2024–25, he finished with 12 points—five goals and seven assists—along with two points in the playoffs. Despite not being a top-tier scorer, Hague's consistent two-way presence and size make him an asset on any blue line. Currently a restricted free agent, Hague just completed a three-year, $6.8 million deal. With a new contract likely to command a raise, the Golden Knights may be forced to move him unless they make additional cap space. Also Read: Brad Marchand's playoff dominance sparks free agency buzz as Panthers push for Stanley Cup glory Meanwhile, Montreal coach Martin St-Louis recently earned recognition of his own, finishing third in Jack Adams Trophy voting behind Spencer Carbery and Scott Arniel. Despite a first-round playoff exit, the Canadiens' progress under St-Louis adds further intrigue to their interest in Hague, suggesting the franchise is ready to make strategic upgrades. As the offseason heats up, expect Hague's name to remain front and center in trade rumors.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Philadelphia Flyers eye trade for Golden Knights' Nicolas Hague amid Cam York contract impasse
Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images The NHL offseason is heating up, and the Philadelphia Flyers might be ready to make a significant move to bolster their blue line. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman via NHL Rumor Report, Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague has emerged as a trade target for the Flyers. The 6-foot-6 blueliner offers the kind of physical presence Philadelphia has been lacking — and with Cam York's contract situation in limbo, a shake-up on the back end could be coming sooner rather than later. Philadelphia Flyers reportedly targeting Golden Knights' defenseman Nicolas Hague The Philadelphia Flyers have been exploring a potential 'hockey trade' for some time — a deal that helps both teams improve in areas of need without diving into full-on rebuild mode. With extension talks between the Flyers and RFA defenseman Cam York seemingly at a standstill, rumors of a potential trade are gaining momentum. Enter Nicolas Hague . The 26-year-old pending RFA fits the mold of what Flyers GM Daniel Brière has repeatedly emphasized: size, grit, and playoff durability on the blue line. With York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emil Andrae all listed at or under six feet tall, the addition of a towering defender like Hague would address the team's urgent need for more physicality on the back end. Vegas, on the other hand, faces cap constraints with just $9.6 million in space and several key forwards to re-sign, including Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, Tanner Pearson, Victor Olofsson, and Alex Holtz. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Hague's name has come up in trade rumors frequently, and this may be the window where the Golden Knights look to move him to free up salary. Photo byFrom Philadelphia's side, cost-controlled assets like Jakob Pelletier or Bobby Brink could pique Vegas's interest. Brink, despite being just 5-foot-8, put up a career-high 41 points last season and carries a team-friendly $1.5 million cap hit for one more year. As July 1 free agency nears, all eyes are on the Flyers' next move. If Cam York's extension talks don't progress, Nicolas Hague appears to be at the top of Philadelphia's contingency list. A potential deal could give both teams exactly what they need — and shake up two NHL blue lines in the process. Also Read: Top NHL prospect Matthew Schaefer returns from injury ahead of 2025 draft
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Oilers were better, faster and more desperate than Golden Knights in dominant Game 4 win
EDMONTON – On Monday night at Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oilers looked like bonafide Stanley Cup contenders, and the Vegas Golden Knights looked shell-shocked, sluggish and disconnected. It should have been a desperate situation for both sides. The Oilers, coming off a devastating last-second defeat and facing the proposition of wasting an early 2-0 series lead to hand home-ice advantage back to Vegas. The Golden Knights, walking into a raucous building while staring at the possibility of being pushed to the brink of elimination. Advertisement Edmonton rose to the occasion with its best game of the series and Vegas had no answers, losing 3-0 in convincing fashion. Asked what was lacking most from Monday's performance, which gave Edmonton a 3-1 series lead, Golden Knights star Jack Eichel thought for a moment, shook his head and replied, 'Urgency, probably.' The Oilers came out swinging from the opening bell, both literally and figuratively. They crashed the Vegas crease, rattling goaltender Adin Hill, who incited a brawl between Nicolas Hague and Trent Frederic by crashing to the ice after sticking his pad out as Mattias Janmark skated by. Edmonton forward Adam Henrique scored twice in the opening period, and from there the Oilers clamped down defensively and watched the clock run out. 'I think that they came out in the first and had a hard push. Give us credit, I thought we stood up to them,' Eichel said. 'A lot of credit to (Keegan Kolesar) and (Hague). You get behind and we obviously weren't able to solve the goaltender.' When it came to the hits and post-whistle scrums, the Golden Knights answered back without issue. In terms of hockey, they couldn't. The Oilers looked faster and more determined from start to finish. 'I think we didn't create enough pace with our offensive game,' Reilly Smith said. 'We were not as fast as we needed to be through the offensive zone and the neutral zone.' It isn't surprising that the Oilers are the faster skating team. They're led by the fastest man alive, wearing No. 97, and have quickness throughout the lineup. Look at every player-tracking metric that the NHL monitors and the Oilers are near the top. In the playoffs they have the fastest average speed in the league, and have had more speed bursts of 18-plus and 22-plus miles per hour than any other squad. It sure looked like that on Monday, as they buzzed around the ice creating havoc for the Golden Knights, who struggled to pass the puck cleanly through the neutral zone. Advertisement Meanwhile, Vegas isn't really built for speed. The Golden Knight have the tallest roster in the NHL, and one of the heaviest. They rely more on their chemistry and skill. In order to play with speed, they must be in sync and zip the puck around with precise passing. 'I think we just didn't play as cohesive as we probably needed to,' Smith said. 'We were dumping the puck in and not having all three guys forechecking… We just didn't have the same unity with our group, so we didn't give ourselves enough chances to create rushes and then create sustained offensive zone because of that.' Building the early lead afforded Edmonton the luxury of sitting back and protecting it. Slow starts have been an issue for Vegas for several stretches this season, including both games in Edmonton in this series. This time it allowed the Oilers to eliminate risk from their game, play above the Golden Knights forwards in transition, and force them to dump the puck and win it back on the forecheck, which rarely happened. 'I think we're good when we're forechecking as a five man unit and everyone is up the ice,' Eichel said. 'We were probably a little bit passive at times, and allowed them to break the puck out a little too easily. So the pressure in their end wasn't as good as it should be, and that's something that we need to correct.' It's yet another facet of the game where Edmonton's speed factors in. Connor McDavid has the ability to back a defender off with nothing more than a few cross overs. That threat alone makes it difficult to sell out with an aggressive forecheck. 'You obviously want to get over their guys when they're transitioning the puck and try to take some of their speed away,' Eichel explained. 'They have a good rush game, but at the same time I don't think that should be holding us back. When we're up and it's a five-man unit forechecking and getting pucks back in their end, I think it's effective.' Advertisement The Golden Knights looked disconnected on Monday. They'd dump a puck deep into the Edmonton zone, but as they did one of the skaters would head to the bench for a line change, leaving a missing link in the forecheck that Edmonton would calmly slip through to exit the zone with ease. 'It wasn't nearly effective enough to create offense for us,' Bruce Cassidy said. 'When they have a lead that's probably how you're going to have to get back in the game. You're going to have to get some forecheck turnovers.' The Oilers came in with a clear gameplan and executed it to near perfection. 'They established physicality, they got the lead and that was probably their goal,' Cassidy said. 'Then from there: Check well, and they did. They checked well. There were no easy passes through the neutral zone.' McDavid's speed is most obvious with the puck on his stick, but on Monday he used it away from the puck. He dashed around the ice eliminating passing lanes and killing rush chances, and the result was a convincing edge for the Oilers in shots (11-5), scoring chances (11-6) and goals (1-0) in his 14 minutes of even strength ice time, according to Natural Stat Trick. A bigger concern for the Golden Knights is they also lost the battle in front of both nets – where their size and strength should give them the advantage. Both of Henrique's goals came from right in front of the Vegas net. On his second, he fought his way into the blue paint and made a sensational play flipping the puck between his own legs and into the net. On the other end of the ice Vegas didn't get nearly enough traffic in front of Oilers' goalie Stuart Skinner, who stopped all 23 shots he faced for his second career playoff shutout. 'We just have to be cleaner on our breakouts, and just better execution,' Eichel said. 'It's do or die now…. We did some good things in (Games) 2 and 3, right? I thought that was closer to the game that we want to play.' Advertisement The Golden Knights now face the challenge of needing three-straight wins to extend their series, against an Oilers team that just proved how good they can be when they're at their best. And that feels like the major difference in this series. When Vegas played its game – in Games 2 and 3 – it lost once in overtime and eked out a last-second victory. When Edmonton played its game, it looked a lot different. That isn't to say the Golden Knights can't do it. That dressing room is filled with championship experience, and plenty of skill and poise to win three straight. Heck, they just did it in the last series against Minnesota. But this is a much taller task. This is the defending Western Conference champions, led by the best player of this generation, with a perennial 100-point player at his side and a team hungry for the championship that eluded them by just a single victory a year ago. If the Golden Knights are going to climb this mountain, winning the battle of urgency is a prerequisite, and they certainly didn't do that in Game 5. 'We have to control our own destiny and play to win games,' Smith said. 'It seemed like we didn't have the same urgency that they had.' (Top photo of Vegas Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill, defenseman Nicolas Hague and Edmonton Oilers left winger Zach Hyman: Walter Tychnowicz/Imagn Images)
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Golden Knights Jack Eichel Day-To-Day; Pair Of Defensemen Battling Illness
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague (14) celebrates with Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) after scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period of game five of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel was held out of the lineup against the Colorado Avalanche with an upper-body injury and joining him on the sidelines were Alex Pietrangelo and Nicolas Hague, both battling an illness. Advertisement Prior to the puck drop, the Golden Knights announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Eichel would be out with an upper-body injury, and is considered day-to-day. The 28-year-old had missed just one game before last night. In 76 games, Eichel has scored 27 goals and 93 points, setting a new career-high and the Golden Knights franchise record for points. If Eichel misses no further games, he'll need seven points in four games to record his first 100-point season. Pietrangelo recently returned from a lower-body injury after missing four games. He returned to play in three consecutive games before suffering an illness. The 2024-25 campaign has been a peculiar one for the 35-year-old. It started strongly, recording great offensive numbers and setting himself on pace to set career highs. The offence faltered, and his consistency has too. He's become prone to major turnovers and defensive blunders but remains a solid overall player. Advertisement Hague dealt an injury earlier in the season, forcing him to miss 22 games. In the 66 games he's played, he's recorded five goals and 11 points, throwing 77 hits and blocking 73 shots. The 26-year-old is a pending RFA, averaging the fewest minutes among the Golden Knights' top six defenders. The Golden Knights are back in action on Thursday when they host the Seattle Kraken and will be hoping to add all three players back into their lineup. Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story. Golden Knights Forward Tomas Hertl Nominated By Vegas PHWA Chapter For 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Golden Knights Forward Tomas Hertl Nominated By Vegas PHWA Chapter For 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association has nomi nated Golden Knights forward Tomáš Hertl as their nominee for the 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is given annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.
