Nicolas Hague

Hague matched his personal best of 17 points last season, though he needed a career-high 81 games to do it. He took a step forward by adding 117 hits and 133 blocked shots, emerging as a reliable third-pairing defenseman with enough physicality to fit the Golden Knights' identity down the lineup. Hague is still just 24 years old entering 2023-24, giving him some upside to grow on offense. However, his role is likely to remain limited. He has more potential that his usual defense partner Zach Whitecloud -- Hague has a strong shot that could earn him some limited power-play time this year. Hague can likely be left on draft boards, but he's worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses.

Hague was expected to be a key member of the Vegas defensive rotation a season ago, but he was unable to stay in the lineup. He missed 30 games in all, including the final 20 due to a lower-body issue. Hague was a big point producer late in his OHL run, but that success hasn't carried over to the highest level. He managed just 14 points a season ago, and doesn't have a single point with the man advantage in the past two years combined. Hague could threaten 20 minutes per game if he can return to full health in 2022-23, but it still won't be enough to make him a fantasy option.

Hague suited up in 52 of Vegas' 56 regular-season games in 2020-21, although his role was severely limited in the postseason, as he saw action in just 10 of the club's 19 playoff contests. Hague was viewed as a steady, stay-at-home defender when drafted in the second round back in 2017, but his offensive game really exploded late in his OHL career. That success hasn't carried over to the NHL, as Hague has tallied just six goals and 28 points in 90 games with the Golden Knights. Toss in the fact Hague gets minimal power-play time and offers little in terms of hits and blocks and you have a guy who is a clear fade in most fantasy formats.

Hague shuffled between Vegas and AHL Chicago for much of 2019-20, but he was decently productive with 11 points in 38 games as a rookie at the NHL level. The 22-year-old seemingly got passed over by Zach Whitecloud in the playoffs, but the two young blueliners will compete for a third-pairing role ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. Whitecloud projects as the better defender, while Hague has a bit more offensive upside. A second-round pick from 2017, Hague is likely to stick around with the Golden Knights this year -- splitting time with Whitecloud isn't likely to hurt either player's development, although their scoring numbers would obviously both suffer. Fantasy managers in dynasty formats may want to stash Hague with the hopes of him becoming an NHL regular in the near future.

A product of Kitchener, Ontario -- which is home to several hockey legends -- Hague went to the Golden Knights with a second-round, 34th overall pick in the 2017 draft. The burly, left-shot defenseman belies his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame as a relatively nimble skater with a scoring touch. Hague agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with Vegas in September of 2017, but the deal has yet to officially kick in due to the young franchise parking him in the AHL for the first two years. Last season, he flashed a promising two-way profile by accumulating 13 goals and 19 assists to complement a plus-31 rating over 75 games for AHL Chicago, but Hague likely has more dues to pay in the minors.