NHL grants an exception to the Golden Knights: "Unique situation"
The National Hockey League, the Players Association and the Vegas Golden Knights have been able to reach an agreement on Robin Lehner's situation.
When the Vegas Golden Knights showed up in Sin City for their medicals and physical testing ahead of training camp, there was one notable absence - Robin Lehner.
Lehner hasn't been able to play in the last couple of seasons after undergoing hip surgery in 2022 and is set to miss the entire 2024-25 campaign as well.
Because Lehner failed to report to Vegas for his mandatory medical, he was in violation of his standard player contract, which left the Golden Knights in quite the tricky situation. One possibility was they could buy out the final year of Lehner's five-year contract, but it appears that all sides have reached an agreement.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the National Hockey League, the Players Association and the Vegas Golden Knights have come to an agreement that will see Robin Lehner still receive his $4.5 million salary this season, but will not count against the team's salary cap.
Simplest way to put it is this: Lehner's contract will not count against the cap, but he will still be paid his salary.
«Unique situation,» as all sides have indicated" Friedman said on X.
This situation won't sit well with fans around the National Hockey League at all, especially with how Vegas has used the long-term injury reserve (LTIR) system in the last few years, with star players being out of the lineup and then able to return for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
However, this situation seems quite a bit different, as Robin Lehner's future in professional hockey is unclear and he hasn't played in over two years. Everyone is hoping that Lehner is in a good place and is doing well physically and mentally at this time.
