NHL free agency 2019: Chicago Blackhawks sign Robin Lehner

The Chicago Blackhawks have shocked everyone in NHL free agency. Robin Lehner will be joining them on a one-year deal worth $5 million.

Robin Lehner was a Vezina Trophy finalist this season with the New York Islanders. But the Isles seem to be interested in other targets in NHL free agency. This left Lehner in a peculiar position, especially after the Florida Panthers signed Sergei Bobrovsky. He’s decided to go the road less traveled by heading to the Chicago Blackhawks for a year, with a reported $5 million cap hit.

This is surprising, to say the least. Lehner was someone who could run out of options fast. But with Bobrovsky and other goalies signing elsewhere, he was the guy left without a chair to sit on. So Lehner found the next best thing.

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A one-year deal gives him the chance to re-enter the free agent market in a year. Lehner, on paper, looks like the best free agent goaltender of the 2020 class. This, however, means a few things for the Blackhawks.

The main thing is, what’s going on with Corey Crawford? He has one year left on his deal with a $6 million cap hit. Crawford also has a no-movement clause and a modified no-trade clause, which means moving him will be heard.

For the time being, it appears a tandem could be in play. Having Crawford and Lehner as a tandem is a solid way to get good goaltending. The Blackhawks goalie situation gets far less complicated next year, but Lehner only signed a one-year deal. Could he be a long-term option for them?

During free agency, the power in the NHL has shifted towards the Western Conference. Sure, the Rangers got Artemi Panarin. But the Stars got Joe Pavelski and the Nashville Predators got Matt Duchene. Don’t count out the Colorado Avalanche either, who have a ton of cap space.

This is a surprising signing for both parties. Lehner is coming off his best season as a pro. Reportedly, he rejected a two-year $5 million a year offer from the Islanders, who didn’t want to commit to him long-term. Lehner seems to have made the best of a bad situation, finding himself in the Windy City playing for an Original Six team for a year.