The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly interested in acquiring defenseman Nicolas Hague from the Vegas Golden Knights. The report came from Elliotte Friedman during his segment on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, where he mentioned that Philadelphia has already communicated its interest to Vegas. Although no trade has been completed, the Flyers are clearly exploring this option early in the NHL offseason.
Looking at the facts, Hague is a 26-year-old left-handed defenseman. He was selected by the Golden Knights in the second round, 34th overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft. In the 2024–25 season, he played 68 regular-season games, scoring five goals and adding seven assists. In the playoffs, he recorded two assists in 11 games. Over his career, Hague has played 364 NHL regular-season games with 20 goals and 83 points.
However, offense is not his primary contribution. Hague has recorded 489 blocked shots and 572 hits, showing his strength as a physical, stay-at-home defenseman. He holds a 49.7% CorsiFor percentage and a 90.9% on-ice save percentage at even strength. His play has been steady on both even strength and the penalty kill, which are areas of need for the Flyers.
Currently, Hague is a pending restricted free agent. He has one year remaining before reaching unrestricted free agency, meaning any new contract the Flyers might give him would likely expire with Hague becoming UFA-eligible. Despite this short-term control, the Flyers are still considering him as a potential upgrade.
From Philadelphia’s point of view, this interest may seem confusing at first. The team already has five left-handed defensemen on the active roster. Adding Hague would make him the sixth. However, the Flyers’ poor team defense and weak goaltending last season suggest that adding a dependable, physical player like Hague could still be worthwhile.
On the other side, Vegas has not announced any plans to trade Hague. But according to PuckPedia, the Golden Knights have just $9.6 million in cap space entering the summer. They also need to make decisions on several forwards, including Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, Tanner Pearson, Victor Olofsson, and Alex Holtz. Given that context, moving a defenseman like Hague could help create needed cap room.
If Vegas does want to move Hague for cap relief, they likely would not want another left-handed defenseman with a significant contract in return. Emil Andrae is a possible exception, as he is under contract at $903,000 for 2025–26. Other than that, Vegas might be more interested in young forwards.
In fact, the Flyers have a surplus of wingers and forward prospects. Bobby Brink could be part of the conversation. He had a career-high 41 points last season and has one year left on a contract with a $1.5 million cap hit before reaching restricted free agency. Other names mentioned in trade speculation include Alexis Gendron, Samu Tuomaala, and Zayde Wisdom. These players are all young right-wing prospects in the Flyers’ system, and at least two of them might be needed to balance out Hague’s value in a deal.
Owen Tippett has also come up in rumors, although there is no solid evidence that the Flyers are considering trading him. Tippett is coming off the first year of an eight-year, $49.6 million deal. He did not have a strong 2024–25 season, but moving him now would be unexpected given his long-term contract and the team’s investment in him.
At the same time, the Flyers have not yet agreed to a contract extension with Cam York, who is also a restricted free agent. Talks between York and the team are reported to be at a standstill. If those negotiations don’t progress, acquiring Hague might give Philadelphia more options on the blue line. York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emil Andrae are all under six feet tall, which makes Hague’s size more appealing.
There’s also the situation with Rasmus Ristolainen. He is currently recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured right triceps tendon. He is expected to miss the entire Flyers training camp and may not be ready for the start of the season. Hague could step in as a top-four option or push someone like Nick Seeler into a depth role if younger players make the team out of camp.
The two teams also have recent trade history. In March 2024, Philadelphia retained a portion of Noah Hanifin’s contract in a three-team trade involving Vegas, receiving a fifth-round pick in return. That deal shows that both front offices have worked together recently, which could make negotiations easier now.
Meanwhile, changes are underway in the Flyers’ coaching staff. Rick Tocchet has taken over as head coach, and Yogi Svejkovsky is expected to join his staff. Svejkovsky ran the Vancouver Canucks’ power play during the 2024–25 season, where the unit ranked 15th in the NHL with a 22.5% success rate. In comparison, the Flyers’ power play ranked last in the league over the last three seasons, operating at just 14.1%. The season before that, it ranked 32nd at 12.6%. Svejkovsky’s addition is meant to address this issue and improve the team’s special teams performance.
Svejkovsky coached under Tocchet in Vancouver for three years. Before that, he worked in the WHL and at the prep level. As a player, he appeared in 113 NHL games with the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 23 goals and 19 assists.
The Flyers are also putting together a new coaching staff for their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. With the NHL Draft scheduled for June 27 and free agency opening on July 1, Philadelphia may want to complete a trade soon.
So far, there’s no report of a formal offer or final stages of negotiation. But based on the details provided by Friedman and other NHL sources, the Flyers have a serious interest in Hague, and the conditions are in place for a deal to happen. The decision now rests on whether Vegas is willing to part with a physical, reliable defenseman for the right return.
