Golden Knights' Robin Lehner needs hip surgery, will miss upcoming season
Lehner also underwent shoulder surgery this offseason
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner will require hip surgery and is expected to miss the upcoming season, the team said Thursday.
The 31-year-old Lehner, who will likely spend the entire 2022-23 season on long-term injured reserve, has three years remaining on a contract that carries a $5 million annual cap hit. The team said no timeline for his recovery has been determined yet.
He also also underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lehner started 44 games for the Golden Knights last season and finished 23-17-2. He has a 152–141–49 record and .917 save percentage over his NHL career. He won the William M. Jennings Trophy twice — in 2019 with the New York Islanders and in 2021 with the Golden Knights.
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Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights warms up prior to a game against the San Jose Sharks at T-Mobile Arena on April 24, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
During the Golden Knights’ late-season run that left them out of the playoff picture for the first time since entering the league in 2017, Lehner disputed reports of both upper- and lower-body injuries during postgame media sessions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In what turned out to be his final appearance last season on April 20, Lehner was pulled in favor of rookie Logan Thompson between the first and second periods of a 4-3 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals. It was a move then-coach Peter DeBoer said was made to spark the team and create a different vibe.
But with Vegas’ playoff hopes hanging in the balance, reports surfaced April 22 that Lehner agreed to season-ending surgery due to an undisclosed lower-body injury suffered March 8 in Philadelphia.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights clears the puck during the first period of a game against the New Jersey Devils at T-Mobile Arena on April 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images)
After missing three consecutive practices leading up to a must-win game against the San Jose Sharks on April 24, Lehner served as a backup to Thompson in the game.
Less than two weeks before he was fired, DeBoer expressed regret about how he previously described Lehner’s situation, saying he felt the 12-year veteran looked uncomfortable in net during a road trip in Canada.
With backup Laurent Brossoit’s status also uncertain after undergoing hip surgery during the offseason, the Golden Knights are left with a potential goalie tandem of Thompson and journeyman Michael Hutchinson to start the season.
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Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights warms up prior to a game against the Washington Capitals at T-Mobile Arena on April 20, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
Thompson, the AHL Goalie of the Year in 2019, went 10-5-3 with a .914 save percentage in 19 appearances with Vegas last season.
Hutchinson, who has had stops in Winnipeg, Florida, Colorado and Toronto, has career marks of 55-55-15 with a 2.79 GAA and .905 save percentage in 137 appearances.