Sources: Vegas Golden Knights get salary cap relief from Robin Lehner’s contract
The Vegas Golden Knights secured a big win before even taking the ice for the 2024-25 season.
Sources told Daily Faceoff the final year of injured goaltender Robin Lehner’s $25 million contract will not count against the Golden Knights’ salary cap this season after a settlement was reached between the Golden Knights, NHL and NHL Players’ Association. Lehner was in violation of his contract when he failed to report for a mandatory medical exam to open training camp; Lehner previously made the Golden Knights aware he was unable to report for personal reasons.
This newfound flexibility is a significant change for how Vegas approaches the season. The Golden Knights will now not have to place Lehner on long-term injury (LTIR), will not need to concoct a near perfect season-opening capture to maximize the LTIR usage, and can begin accruing salary cap space for each day they are under the $88 million limit this season. That banked 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 owed to him this season. Sources indicated the Golden Knights had a strong case to fully terminate the deal, which would result in no pay, but they didn’t want to pursue that path – as they were only seeking salary cap relief. From the NHLPA perspective, protecting a player’s earnings was of the utmost importance, and the resulting salary cap change is mostly immaterial – resulting in the agreed upon settlement. His $4.5 million is still expected to count against the players’ share of the 50/50 revenue split with owners.
Lehner has not played in the NHL since April 20, 2022 and was expected to miss his third consecutive season after undergoing what appears to be career-ending hip surgery in August 2022. The NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that injured players, even those who have been on LTIR for multiple seasons, must undergo a medical exam at the start of every season to confirm they remain unfit to play. The player can then be placed on the long-term injury list at the team’s discretion.
Lehner was a well-respected teammate and fan favorite for his work both 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 advocated for more 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 caused him to turn to drugs and alcohol, and then his journey to sobriety that helped lead him to the best hockey of his career and this $25 million deal with the Golden Knights.
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