The Golden Knights blamed Bruce Cassidy, but their real problem was in net

Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas set the frame on 32 Thoughts, and the post below hits the nerve fast: Vegas changed coaches when the crease was the softer spot.

Hill, 29, is signed through 2030-31 at a $6,250,000 cap hit. Carter Hart, 27, is on a 2-year deal at $2,000,000 per season through 2026-27. That is $8,250,000 tied up in a tandem that has not settled the room.

That's why this move lands sideways. A team can survive tight finishing. It usually does not survive unstable goaltending in April.

Vegas entered March 30 at 32-26-16 with 3.12 goals per game, 3.07 against, a 24.5 percent power play and an 81.8 percent penalty kill. That profile says flawed contender, not coach-led collapse.

Hill's line tells the harder story: 25 games, 3.10 goals-against average, .866 save percentage. Hart sits at 12 games, 3.28 and .871. Those are not bailout numbers for a team chasing playoff traction.

Akira Schmid has actually given them the cleanest work in net: 34 games, 16 wins, 2.59 and .893. When your steadiest goalie is not the expensive one, roster construction becomes the story.

Yesterday, the Vegas bench changed, but the cap investment in goal stayed the same.

That is why Vegas made the wrong move. Cassidy was the easier switch. Fixing the goalies is the harder job, and it is still waiting.

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