It’s not a stretch to suggest that the career of former Ottawa Senator goalie Robin Lehner will probably end on Long Term Injured Reserve.
Lehner hasn’t played since having hip surgery in the summer of 2022, and he’s now entering the final year of a five-year, $25 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. The team announced this week that Lehner remains unfit to play and won’t be reporting to the club this season.
However according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, all players are required to have a pre-camp physical done to continue being eligible for LTIR. And this week in Vegas, Lehner was a no-show.
So, in theory, it’s possible the Knights may attempt to terminate Lehner’s contract. That would seem like a completely insane penalty for missing a doctor’s appointment, but it would save the club $4.4 million in salary and the $5 million cap hit. That process would need to go through the NHL and NHLPA.
Knights’ GM Kelly McCrimmon addressed Lehner’s status by reading from a written statement at the start of training camp this week
“(Robin) will not be reporting to the club this year,” McCrimmon said Thursday. “He continues to be unfit to play. There are unique circumstances surrounding this situation that the NHL, the NHLPA and the club are currently working through. Collectively, we are assessing our next steps, and when we have more to say, we will.”
That led to speculation about Lehner’s situation and the unique circumstances that everyone is suddenly trying to work through.
McCrimmon likes a good salary cap loophole or two and has famously used the LTIR to his advantage in the past few years. That said, he mentioned nothing about a possible contract termination.
Lehner put out this brief statement on Saturday.
“All I can say at this time is everyone knows why I couldn’t be there. I am waiting calmly for things to be sorted out.”
During his NHL career, Lehner has dealt with concussions, substance abuse, mental health issues, and bankruptcy. He and his wife, Donya, filed two years ago and reportedly owe creditors more than $27 million.
No matter what’s happening, the fate of a $4.4 million contract isn’t something anyone takes lightly. But we’ll say this: No league that wants to be taken seriously would allow a team to cancel a player’s guaranteed contract because he missed a physical.
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