The Vegas Golden Knights have a big win before they even take the ice for the 2024-25 season.
The final year of injured goaltender Robin Lehner’s $25 million contract will not count toward the Golden Knights’ salary cap this season after a settlement was reached between the Golden Knights, the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association, sources told the Daily Face Off. Lehner was in breach of his contract when he failed to undergo a mandatory medical examination to open training camp; Lehner previously informed the Golden Knights that he was unable to report for personal reasons.
This newfound flexibility represents a big change in how Vegas approaches the season. Now the Golden Knights won’t have to put Lehner on long-term injury status (LTIR), won’t need to set up a near-perfect shot to open the season to maximize LTIR usage, and can start accumulating salary cap space for every day they spend under the $88 million cap this season . This buffer space can then be used at the trade deadline for a more expensive player.
Lehner, 33, is still expected to receive the $4.5 million he is owed this season. Sources indicated that the Golden Knights had a strong case for terminating the deal entirely, which would result in no pay, but they did not want to follow that path — as they were only seeking salary cap relief. From the NHLPA’s perspective, protecting player earnings was paramount, and the resulting salary cap change was mostly insignificant — leading to the agreed-upon settlement. His $4.5 million is still expected to count toward the players’ share of a 50/50 revenue split with the owners.
Lehner has not played in the NHL since April 20, 2022, and was expected to miss his third straight season after undergoing what appears to be career-ending hip surgery in August 2022. The NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that players, even those who were LTIR for several seasons, they must undergo a medical examination at the beginning of each season to ensure that they are still unfit to play. The player may then be placed on the long-term injury list at the team’s discretion.
Lehner was a respected teammate and fan favorite for his work on and off the ice. In 2018-19 with the New York Islanders, he captured the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and finished third in Vezina Trophy voting. He has called for greater awareness and understanding of mental health, drug and alcohol addiction and trauma. Lehner bravely discussed his battles with bipolar disorder, ADHD, and PTSD, his undiagnosed mental health struggles that led him to turn to drugs and alcohol, then his journey to sobriety that helped him achieve the best hockey of his career and this The deal is worth $25 million. With the Golden Knights.
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Post sponsored by bet365
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