Canadiens Analysis
Canadiens Trade Talk – Examining Nicolas Hague Rumours
With the NHL Entry Draft looming, the trade rumours regarding the Montreal Canadiens have picked up, with Nicolas Hague being the latest player linked to the team.
According to Nick Kypreos, the Habs have kicked around the idea of trading for Hague, however, the Pittsburgh Penguins are also reportedly interested in the defenceman.
With that in mind, we’ll take a look at whether Hague is a fit with the current lineup, as well as what he could bring to the table for the Habs.
Nicolas Hage, 26, LD/RD, Vegas Golden Knights. 6’6″, 240 lb.
Although Hague shoots left, he can play on both sides of the blue line, which means he could fill the gap left behind when David Savard retired. His versatility would certainly be a plus, but we should guard against projecting him in a top-four role. For the most part, Hague played on Vegas’ third pairing, with his last partner being Zack Whitecloud (RD). His second-most common defensive partner was Alex Pietrangelo (LD).
His underlying numbers alongside Whitecloud were decent, hovering near the 50 mark in shot control and expected goals. In that vein, a third-pairing assignment with the Canadiens would be a logical approach, though the team already has players such as Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble ready to fill that role.
As soon as Hague played with Pietrangelo, Kaedan Korczak, or Noah Hanifin, his numbers collapsed.
A quick look at his RAPM at 5v5 reveals that Hague tends to be a significant drag, a clear red flag when we consider he’s a defensive defenceman, and he won’t be able to provide much in terms of even-strength offence.
via https://evolving-hockey.com/
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
Beyond the stats, Hague does fit the bill when it comes to his frame. Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has mentioned several times that he wants to improve the size of his players, while maintaining a certain talent level. The former rings true in this case, but the latter? Not so much.
It’s not just a matter of Hague struggling in the last season, either. If we evaluate his year-to-year progress, his results are in the midst of a complete nosedive since 2022.
Of course, just because he had a hard time in Las Vegas doesn’t mean he’ll flail in Montreal, but considering the discrepancy in talent between both lineups, it’s rather easy to argue he’d have a harder time in Montreal.
Hague will be a restricted free agent on July 1, coming off a three-year contract that carried a $2.3 million annual average value. We can safely assume he’s looking for a raise, and given that he’s only 26 years old, there is some logic in saying he hasn’t quite hit his prime yet, but if we focus solely on his numbers, a raise would represent another significant red flag.
Additionally, the Canadiens would have to outbid the Penguins to secure Hague’s services, which means they’d be spending precious assets to acquire a player who has been on a downward trend for several years.
All things considered, beyond his size, Hague simply does not move the needle for a team such as the Montreal Canadiens.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics via Natural Stat Trick or Evolving Hockey.
Agreed. The size makes you drool, but other than that, he’s redundant. We’ve got younger, cheaper players that we’ve invested time in already that can do what Hague is doing. To spend assets that could be used to satisfy an actual need on a redundancy seems foolish.
If you’re going after an RFA D then go after Bouchard. He’s 25 and the Oilers will be hard pressed to pay him what he’s worth. Habs have tons of draft capital to send to the Oilers. With that said, I think the focus should be on bringing in size and skill up front. Who’s available as a UFA or RFA that could fit the bill?
Overrated , brutal defensively and $$$$$
I’m at odds with your take on Hague in the article . From my point of view the player’s playoff stats offer a better insight as to what Hague can bring to the Habs . Two points made in the piece that to me are confusing , one is that Hague’s play has nosedived since 2022 .
From my perspective in VGK’s season in 2022/23 , he had a fine regular season with 3-14-17 and a plus 7 rating and followed it up in the playoffs with 2-4-6 totals , a plus 10 rating and 37 pims . The penalty minutes being important to add in that he was filling a role needed in the 4 rounds to the SC title . Looking at the last 2 playoff years , his plus/minus at -2 is actually better than his fellow defenders McNabb and Whitecloud and a little worse than Pietrangelo who came in at plus 1 over the 2 playoffs. One thing that stats don’t measure is the size of a guy’s heart and I think if they could it would show a very high score for Hague . He’s always there to stand up for his teammates.
The 2nd point is probably a typo , anyway you listed Hague’s common D-partners as Whitecloud (rd) and Pietrangelo (LD) . Alex P is a rightie .
the nosedive since 2022 comment implies the 2022/23 season was his last one with any progress, it’s been a nosedive ever since the Cup win. You are using the last good year rather than what came after… furthermore advanced metrics are much more important for evaluating than plus/minus stats… Hague does not have good advanced metrics at all… he is an anchor everytime he was forced into a top 4 role… I don’t even see an upgrade over Xhekaj with Hague, they are the same type of player.
2022 is for me the year that Colorado won the Cup and Vegas won 2 seasons ago in 2023 . Maybe Marc meant the 2022/23 season games was his last year playing well and that’s fine. Anyway I gave stats for his playoff performance for the last 3 seasons which counter that . Marc’s stats weren’t done for the last 3 seasons of post season play and my take on it as I stated was that playoff performance can be a better measure for Hague’s potential fit as a Hab .
I don’t see Hague as being a either/or situation with Xhekaj. There’s room for both of them . With a defence corps that has 2 players between 162-175 lbs in Carrier and Hutson , it’s probably a good idea to have another big man to balance the group , especially with the loss of Savard. And Hague has experience playing the right side .
he’s not a righty, he’s not a top 4, he’s not even a real upgrade… no thanx.
We need a 2C, if Dvo walks we might also need a 3C (unless we think Beck or Kap can handle it already), and we need a RHD…
We don’t need a LHD… and for some of the other articles of nonsense, we don’t need any wingers right now either…
There are still many months left before the start of next season. So I would not make this kind of trade right now as better options may materialize in the next few months. Perhaps in September if there is a desperate need to fill a hole in the lineup I might be more open to acquiring a big stay at home defenseman, but not right now.