The Golden Knights have assigned netminder Jiří Patera back to AHL Henderson, per CapFriendly. The move suggests Adin Hill, who hasn’t played since sustaining an undisclosed injury against the Blue Jackets on March 23, is ready to return tomorrow against the Canucks.
A sixth-round pick of Vegas’ inaugural 2017 draft class, Patera made his NHL debut last year after two seasons with Henderson in a depth role. At 6’2″ and 209 lbs, Patera’s good size and solid positioning helped him develop into the Knights’ top minor-league option last season, with a .911 SV% in 31 appearances. He made his first two NHL starts in March as injuries piled up in the Vegas crease, winning both and posting a strong .929 SV%, 2.50 GAA, and 2.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
After his entry-level contract expired, Vegas signed him to a one-year, two-way contract ($775K/$100K/$145K) last summer to serve as the third goalie on the depth chart behind Hill and Logan Thompson. He slid up from the #4 spot to replace veteran Jonathan Quick, whom they let find a new home on the open market after he gave the eventual Stanley Cup champs some solid performances to close out the regular season. Patera’s more extended NHL audition this season hasn’t gone quite as well, though, putting up below-average numbers with a .893 SV% and 3.98 GAA in five starts and one relief appearance. He’s managed to concede 4.0 goals above expected in that time.
Things haven’t gone quite as well in the minors for Patera either, where his numbers have dropped to a .902% and 3.04 GAA in 24 games. The team in front of him hasn’t exactly been a beacon of defensive responsibility, though, and the other two netminders on the roster, Isaiah Saville and Jesper Vikman, haven’t outperformed him.
Since Patera was on the roster as an emergency call-up, he had to be returned to Henderson or be added to the roster as a standard recall as soon as Hill became available to dress. He made one start on this recall, stopping 30 of 35 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Predators on March 26. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights when his contract expires this summer and will require waivers to be assigned to the minors beginning next season.