Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner undergoes shoulder surgery. No direct timetable was announced but it is reported to be longer-term.
LV announces Robin Lehner will undergo shoulder surgery. GM Kelly McCrimmon called it “clean-up surgery.” There was concern the timeline would be longer.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 13, 2020
Just gotta clean it up alittle:) I’ll be back for camp! pic.twitter.com/5jQ4aFBhdV
— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) October 13, 2020
Robin Lehner Sidelined due to Surgery
The Golden Knights acquired Lehner during the trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks. Vegas traded Malcolm Subban, Slava Demin and a 2nd round pick for him.
Lehner was having a good season in Chicago with a .918 save percentage but found playoff success in Vegas. He took over the starting job from Marc-Andre Fleury and backstopped the Golden Knights to the Western Conference Finals. He finished the playoffs with a 1.99 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Vegas extended him this off-season to a five-year deal worth $25 million deal.
Robin Lehner is a 29-year-old goalie who has played for the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Islanders along with Chicago and Vegas. In 317 NHL games, he has a career 2.68 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
What this Means for the Future
Without Robin Lehner being possibly available for the start of the 2021 season, it means that the Marc-Andre Fleury is going to remain a Golden Knight. There were rumours that when Lehner signed his extension that it meant Fleury was headed out of town because the Knights would have two starting goalies, something that got controversial when Fleury’s agent Allan Walsh tweeted a picture of Fleury being stabbed through the heart because of his lack of playing time with Lehner as the starter. Fleury had been the starter for the entire three-year existence of the team at that point and led them to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season. It would also mean Vegas would have $12 million devoted to goaltending. However, it seems Fleury is staying.
McCrimmon says LV is not trading Marc-Andre Fleury. It will be a Fleury/Lehner tandem
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 13, 2020
This would mean Vegas has a starting goalie to make up for Lehner’s absence. That is a luxury that many teams don’t have, so they will be fine unless Fleury slows-down. It could also mean Fleury could be a trade-deadline target if Lehner comes back fully-healthy.
Main Photo
