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Lehner Talks Exit From Blackhawks, Says He Was On the “Bench for No Reason”

Robin Lehner spoke of his exit from the Chicago Blackhawks and notes he didn’t understand a lot of the decisions that were made there.

Robin Lehner isn’t afraid to speak his mind. In the past, he’s talked about what he believes he’s worth as a starting goaltender, what starting goaltenders should be able to do considering how much they’re being paid and why he’s not willing to settle any longer in his NHL career. The latest words from Lehner — at least in respect to his last week as a goaltender who has been traded — come at the expense of the Chicago Blakhawks.

The Blackhawks moved Lehner at this year’s NHL Trade Deadline after the two sides couldn’t find common ground on a new contract. Electing to stick with Corey Crawford, Lehner was shipped to the Vegas Golden Knights in one of the more surprising moves of the deadline considering Vegas wasn’t really on any insiders radar to land his services. After the trade, he spoke with Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun, and discussed his time in Chicago.

Lehner said:

I went to Chicago to help them out and got promises of getting a fair chance to play. I came there with a good mindset, fit into the team. I didn’t play much in the beginning, or middle, beginning of the season, even if I played well, had a good camp.

Lehner then explained that he won the starting job and helped the Blackhawks get within one point of a playoff spot. “Then, all of a sudden, I found myself on the bench for no reason. That was tough.”

Noting it was difficult for him to shake mentally, he wasn’t giving up on the organization and wasn’t sour on the idea of staying. In fact, there were rumors he was willing to take a lower salary to stick with the Blackawks. He was then surprised to see they weren’t really as keen to work out a deal with him. He says, “negotiations totally died out.”

Perhaps it was his willingness to be so vocal. Perhaps it was health concerns on the part of the Blackhawks. Whatever the reason, at that point, he wasn’t surprised to be moved as the days crept closer to the deadline.

Starting Over In Vegas

When asked about whether or not he thinks he’ll stick with the Golden Knights or hopes to sign a long-term deal with the team, he replied, “I don’t hope anymore. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens this summer.”

And, his story will be a curious one to watch. His numbers have been good, he’s a former Vezina Trophy finalist and he’s going to be among the more attractive options in net for teams looking to improve at the goaltender position. But, he’s not overthinking it. For now, he says he just wants to get his game on track because it’s not where he’d like it to be.

Related: Draisaitl First To Reach 100 Points This NHL Season

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