Vegas Golden Knights: Grading the Robin Lehner trade

The Vegas Golden Knights hit a buzzer-beater on the trade deadline by bringing in Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks. Here is a breakdown of the trade.

The Vegas Golden Knights have had a roller coaster of a season. They fired their head coach despite being a playoff team and Marc-Andre Fleury went from a top goalie in the NHL into a sub .900 goaltender. Now they are on a six-game winning streak that has propelled them to the top of the Pacific Division standings.

Minutes before the 3:00 PM EST deadline, Kelly McCrimmon traded away a second-round pick, Malcolm Subban, and a prospect in exchange for goaltender Robin Lehner.

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After being a finalist in the Vezina voting last year, Lehner has continued his strong play with the Chicago Blackhawks with a .918 save percentage and a 3.01 goals-against average.

Even though his numbers took a step back from his career-high with the New York Islanders, it’s important to remember that the Islanders were one of the top defensive teams in the NHL.

Any goalie who leaves a team like that will see a regression in his numbers. What matters is that Lehner continues to play well and he’s regained confidence in his game which is critical for goaltenders in general.

With Fleury’s struggles since November, adding Lehner is a good insurance policy for the team and eases both the workload and the pressure off Fleury. Now they can play tandem and head coach Peter DeBoer can play the hot hand rather than constantly start Fleury because the other option is Garret Sparks.

In the playoffs, goaltending is the most crucial piece and Vegas now has two very established players at their disposal. Look at the 2018 Washington Capitals that started their playoff run with Philipp Grubauer before Braden Holtby took over. Or the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins that saw Matt Murray take the torch from Fleury.

The playoffs are a combination of short series and playing the hot hand is crucial in those situations. Adding Lehner is a great move for the Golden Knights and it has made them a legitimate contender this year.