Robin Lehner didn’t seem to suggest he was bitter about getting a lower-than-market-value deal from the Vegas Golden Knights, but he’s not shy about saying publicly that he’s way underpaid and in the process he called out a number of goalies who are making more than he has, but he believes he’s a better netminder.
During an interview on the Cam and Strick podcast, Lehner seemed to take issue with people who argue he’s being well paid and that he’s getting fair value for what he offers just needs to look at the numbers. He cut the hosts off when they started a topic of conversation saying he got a big contract. Lehner noted, “I got a long contract, we can discuss big.” Dropping names like Jacob Markstrom and Sergei Bobrovsky, Lehner says he’s had better numbers and hinted he’s a bargain for the Golden Knights organization.
Lehner is now the starter in Vegas. After the team traded Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks this offseason, Lehner officially became that man. He’s got four seasons remaining on a deal that pays him $5 million per season. Lehner is right when he argues that comparatively, it’s a good value for the Golden Knights.
“I got my years, but I didn’t get paid.” Lehner added, “Anyone who said I got paid didn’t go and look at my numbers leading up to that season. Tell me how Markstrom got $6 million and I got $5 when I had better statistics than him.” He added that he’d been putting up many strong seasons and not just one like Markstrom did to get his massive deal. He added that Bobrovsky getting $10 million is another example and he said he could go through a list and give a lot better examples. He finished with, “You look through the comparables, I’m way underpaid for what I should be paid.”
Is Lehner Bitter?
It’s hard to tell if Lehner is upset at himself or the organization for taking a deal he believes is so under market value. He signed with a team that had a bonafide starter and he took less than he could have made elsewhere, but he’s also arguing against contracts that are clearly overpayments in some cases.
What’s important for the Golden Knights to know is if Lehner feels resentment toward the team at all. There’s not much he can do about it now, but it’s not good to have a goalie who is bitter and feels undervalued on the roster, especially if he’s clearly now your starter.
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