The Vegas Golden Knights confirmed that goaltender Robin Lehner will start the season on long-term injured reserve and is out indefinitely.
Lehner missed all of 2022-23 after requiring hip surgery in August 2022. He last played an NHL game on April 20, 2022, making 12 saves in a relief effort for the Golden Knights. His last start came two days earlier.
Born in Goteborg, Sweden, Lehner was not listed on Vegas’ training camp roster, with the team bringing Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, Jiri Patera, Isaiah Saville, Jesper Vikman, Jordan Papirny and Michael Buillon to camp.
Many believe the 32-year-old will not play in the NHL again, with very little known publicly about his recovery process. Lehner’s five-year deal worth $5 million per season is set to expire after the 2024-25 season, with the goaltender holding a five-team no-trade clause.
Between his time with the Golden Knights, the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, Lehner has amassed a record of 152-141-49 with 17 shutouts and a .917 save percentage. He had a breakthrough season in 2018-19 with the Islanders when he won the Jennings Trophy, the Bill Masterton Trophy and was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the first time.
The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023 with Hill leading the way. The club inked him to a contract extension in the summer, with Vegas expected to go with the duo of Hill and Thompson for the upcoming season.
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon also confirmed that Daniil Miromanov is out long-term after suffering an undisclosed injury at the end of 2022-23. He last played in the AHL on March 31, and previously missed 19 games with a lower-body injury after a solid stint with the big club in the winter.
Layton Ahac, who spent all season in the AHL last year, is out day-to-day.
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