The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that they have extended goaltender Robin Lehner to a five- year deal worth $25 million, Frank Seravalli is reporting. Lehner was acquired by the Golden Knights at the trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Goaltender Robin Lehner has put pen to paper and signed a 5-year, $25 million extension to stay with the Vegas @GoldenKnights. Announcement expected later today.
Lehner was No. 5 on #TSNHockey’s Top 75 free agents list. #FreeAgentFrenzy
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 3, 2020
Robin Lehner Signs Long-Term in Vegas
When Robin Lehner was acquired by the Golden Knights it was thought to be just as insurance for Marc-Andre Fleury. However, Lehner took over the starting job heading in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and never looked back.
During his postseason run, Lehner posted a record of 9-7. He had a goals-against-average of 1.99 and a save percentage of .917.
During the regular season, Lehner appeared in 36 appearances between the Blackhawks and the Golden Knights posting a record of 19-10-5, with a goals-against-average of 2.89 and a save percentage of .920. He also recorded a shutout.
Over his career, Lehner has a record of 116-120-45. He has a goals-against-average of 2.72 and a save percentage of .918 to go along with 15 shutouts.
Lehner was originally drafted in the second round, 46th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Vegas Moving Forward with Lehner
With Vegas locking up Lehner to a long-term deal, that certainly spells the end of Marc-Andre Fleury’s time in Vegas. Fleury is entering year two of a three-year deal he signed in 2018. His deal carries a massive cap hit of $7 million which might be hard for the Golden Knights to move.
Deciding to go with Lehner moving forward was the right move for the Golden Knights. The 29-year-old netminder rejuvenated his career after battling with addiction in 2018. Since then, Lehner has been one of the best goaltenders in the league. He signed a one year deal with the New York Islanders where he posted a 25-13-5 record with a goals-against-average of 2.13 and a save percentage of .930. His play earned him a one year deal with the Blackhawks where despite a poor goals-against average of over three, he still managed a .918 save percentage and a 16-10-5 record.
His play with both the Islanders and Blackhawks is why the Golden Knights decided to make a move for him. With Fleury ageing, the Golden Knights knew they needed to have a backup plan especially moving towards the playoffs and Fleury not having the best year. Now, they have a new starting netminder and will continue to be one of the most dangerous teams in the NHL for the foreseeable future.
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