LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last year, hopes were high the Vegas Golden Knights would hit it big next season. But now, a major obstacle has hit the ice. The team announcing Thursday starting goaltender Robin Lehner is out for the entire upcoming season.
"Kind of questioned myself what the team was going to do for goalie?"
Golden Knights fans feeling uncertainty about the upcoming season. The team announcing Lehner will miss the upcoming season after hip surgery. Some fans pointing to the unpopular trade of goal tender Marc-André Fleury as a turning point for the team.
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"It started with the whole Fleury situation and Lehner has always had his injury issues,” said Carll Chiesa, who lives in Henderson.
Since his trade to the Golden Knights, Lehner bumped Fleury as starting goalie and the team gave him a five-year, $25 million contract extension. He has since battled with injuries and was out half of last season after shoulder surgery. TC Martin, a syndicated sports radio host says Lehner is still searching for his comfort zone in Las Vegas, having to fill the shoes of the beloved Fleury was a tall order.
"When Fleury moves on, he's got to replace the face of the franchise, so I know he's been with a lot of pressure,’ he said.
Martin says this injury news, only reinforces questions from the fanbase about trading Fleury.
"It just questions whether he was the right guy and will he be the right guy going forward,” Martin said.
Jesse Granger, the Golden Knights beat reporter for The Athletic says despite injuries, Lehner has performed well when healthy. Granger says Lehner was arguably the MVP for the first two months of last season, keeping VGK on a winning streak while the team managed injuries to key players.
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"That wasn't long ago. That was before Lehner had his shoulder injury, had his leg injury. He was playing very well,’ he said.
Granger says trading for a new goalie will be difficult with the team having no leverage and signing an established free agent goalie is unlikely. He says with backup goalie Laurent Brossoit also coming off surgery, Logan Thompson will likely see action.
"They're left with Logan Thompson who played really well last year, but it's a risky situation to go into a season with a goalie with only 17 career starts,” he said.
A risk VGK fans say they'll have to live with.
"Injuries are injuries and you've still got to find a way to win games,” Chiesa said.
VGK says the timetable for Lehner’s recovery is undetermined right now. Lehner could be moved to the long-term injury reserve to free up cap space for the team.
