Robin Lehner to undergo shoulder surgery

Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon has told reporters that goaltender Robin Lehner will require surgery on his shoulder. McCrimmon has described the procedure as "clean-up surgery", adding there's very little complexity to it and he expects Lehner to be back for training camp.

McCrimmon has also told reporters that there are no longer any plans to trade fellow netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, and the Golden Knights will be playing with the Lehner-Fleury tandem in the 2020-21 season.

Vegas had been trying to get rid of Fleury's salary in order to make way for the signing of defenceman Alex Pietrangelo to a new seven-year contract worth $8.8 million per season. No teams were willing to take on Fleury for the full amount, and Vegas abandoned trade plans, moving defenceman Nate Schmidt to Vancouver instead for the third round pick in 2022.

"It's not just the flat cap," said McCrimmon. "It's the chosen response of some of the teams in the League [to economic situation]."

Many analysts have reported that several teams have their own internal cap this season that is well below the one set by the league. This is a direct response to lost revenue due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, the Golden Knights signed the 29-year-old Lehner to a five-year, $25-million contract. Lehner, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent, led Vegas to the Western Conference Final with a .917 save percentage and four shutouts in 16 playoff starts this summer. The six-foot-four, 240-pound netminder was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, and finished the season with a 19-10-5 record, .920 SVV% and 2.89 GAA.

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