Goalie Robin Lehner did not report back to the Vegas Golden Knights, forcing the membership to weigh its choices concerning a participant who has not performed in additional than two years due to a hip harm.
Lehner underwent hip surgical procedure in August 2022 and was positioned on long-term injured reserve. Membership administration has not stated a lot about Lehner’s standing since then, and there was little discuss of him presumably taking part in this season.
However Lehner was required to endure a medical checkup to stay on LTIR, which permits the Golden Knights to not depend him in opposition to their wage cap whereas on the identical time ensuring the participant receives his wage.
Lehner is within the last 12 months of his contract and is due $4.4 million in wage. If he doesn’t report and the crew terminates his contract, Lehner’s $5 million cap hit, which might have been a part of long-term injured reserve, would come off the books.
“He continues to be unfit to play,” Golden Knights basic supervisor Kelly McCrimmon stated in a information convention Thursday. “There are distinctive circumstances surrounding the state of affairs that the NHL, the NHLPA [players’ association] and the membership are at the moment working by. Collectively, we’re assessing our subsequent steps and when we have now extra to say, we are going to. There will be nothing additional till then.”
Vegas traded for Lehner in February 2020 in a controversial transfer that in the end led to the exit of beginning goalie and fan favourite Marc-Andre Fleury.
Lehner and his spouse, Donya, filed for Chapter 7 chapter two years in the past, in line with the Las Vegas Evaluate-Journal, and owe collectors greater than $27 million.