Golden Knights weigh options after goalie Robin Lehner fails to report
By MARK ANDERSON
Posted 9/19/24
Goalie Robin Lehner failed to report to the Vegas Golden Knights. That forces the club to weigh its options regarding a player who has not played in more than two years because of a hip injury. …
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
Need to set up your free e-Newspaper all-access account? click here.
Non-subscribers
Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Register to comment
Click here create a free account for posting comments.
Note that free accounts do not include access to premium content on this site.
I am anchor
Golden Knights weigh options after goalie Robin Lehner fails to report
FILE - Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner puts his helmet on before the team's NHL game against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Sam Morris, File)
Posted
By MARK ANDERSON
Goalie Robin Lehner failed to report to the Vegas Golden Knights, forcing the club to weigh its options regarding a player who has not played in more than two years because of a hip injury.
Lehner underwent hip surgery in August 2022 and was placed on long-term injured reserve. Club management has not said much about Lehner's status since then, and there was little talk of him possibly playing this season.
But Lehner was required to undergo a medical checkup to remain on LTIR, which allows the Golden Knights to not count him against their salary cap while at the same time making sure the player receives his salary.
Lehner is in the final year of his contract and is due $4.4 million in salary. If he does not report and the team terminates his contract, Lehner’s $5 million cap hit, which would have been part of long-term injured reserve, would come off the books.
“He continues to be unfit to play,” Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a news conference Thursday. “There are unique circumstances surrounding the situation that the NHL, the NHLPA (Players Association) and the club are currently working through. Collectively, we are assessing our next steps and when we have more to say, we will. There'll be nothing further until then.”
Vegas traded for Lehner in February 2020 in a controversial move that ultimately led to starting goalie and fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury's exit.
Lehner and his wife, Donya, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy two years ago, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and owe creditors more than $27 million.
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.