Robin Lehner was one of the last players out during deadline day, with the Swedish goalie being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Trade talks surrounding Lehner’s been ongoing. He’s been a likable force and a new fresh voice in the Blackhawks locker room.
However, he ended his stint in Chicago during his worst stretch of the season, posting a save percentage of Lehner’s .888 the last month.
Lehner, a Vezina finalist last season with the Islanders, will team up in Vegas with star goalie Marc–André Fleury. At the same tie, Malcom Subban’s heading to Chicago as a part of the trade.
But if Lehner would’ve been the one in charge, he wouldn’t have left Chicago.
According to The Athletic, Robin Lehner told the Blackhawks he was ready to sign a three-year-extension because he loved Chicago.
At the same time, He was also ready to take less salary because he, as reporter by The Athletic, “loved the guys, the young guys and the old.”
However, the Chicago Blackhawks didn’t even get back with an offer.
Lehner signed a one-year-contract with the Blackhawks last summer but made sure he was after a longer contract this summer, as reported by The Athletic. The negotiations stalled recently and Chicago decided to ship the 28 year old to the Golden Knights.
“If anything happened to Marc-Andre Fleury, we (felt we) weren’t strong enough to win playoff games if we get to that point. Those are hard decisions, but we felt that way. It’s uncommon that there’s a goaltender available of Robin Lehner’s ability. … Those things all lined up to make this happen,” Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon told the Las Vegas Review Journal.
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