Golden Knights In Unusual Situation As Former Vezina Trophy-Winner Robin Lehner Skips Mandatory Physical
The NHL preseason gets started this weekend, and a perennial Stanley Cup contender has found itself in a strange position after one of its goalies simply didn't show up to a mandatory medical exam.
Vegas Golden Knights netminder Robin Lehner hasn't appeared in an NHL game in over two years. He suffered an injury that led to hip surgery in 2022 causing him to miss both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NHL seasons.
During that time, Lehner was on LTIR, while the goaltending duties went to the likes of Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, and even former Golden Knights Laurent Brossoit and Jonathan Quick en route to a Cup win in 2023.
Through all of that, Lehner — a Vezina Trophy finalist and Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner with the New York Islanders — remained on LTIR, and until this week, it was expected that that would be the case again this season.
However, Lehner no-showed for his mandatory physical.
Robin Lehner has missed the last two seasons due to injury, and now the Golden Knights goalie could have his contract terminated after missing a mandatory physical. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
According to Daily Faceoff, all injured players must undergo a physical to confirm that they're unable to compete.
Because he skipped this, Lehner could have his contract terminated. This year would mark the final season of a five-year, $25 million deal with Vegas. The team is reportedly trying to figure out what to do next, given the unusual situation, but if Lehner's deal is terminated, he'll lose out on $4.5 million in salary, while the Golden Knights — a team that is often right up against the salary cap — would not be on the hook for Lehner's $5 million cap hit.
It's a strange situation, but this could be a big break for Vegas if it winds up giving the franchise a bit of money to play with this season, especially at the trade deadline, when it has a history of going for splashy deals to help come playoff time.