If there were any questions about how Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury were going to get along or co-exist in Vegas after Fleury’s agent tweeted a graphic photo hinting Fleury was mad about how much he wasn’t starting… fear not. Things seem totally peachy between the two netminders.
Fleury’s agent Allan Walsh made things extremely awkward when he posted a photo of his client trying to make a save with a sword through his back. On the sword was the coach’s name, the hint being that Pete DeBoer was shafting Fleury by starting Lehner so much.
Obviously, Lehner has earned those starts with his play and Fleury came out before Game 1 of the Golden Knights series with Vancouver and tried to diffuse the situation when he said Walsh was passionate, like family and just trying to defend him a little.
The media ran with the story, suggesting this would cause a rift between Fleury, Lehner and the Golden Knights and that this was the beginning of the end of Fleury’s tenure on the team. Speculation was in the offseason he’d be traded.
That’s all still possible.
But, as far as the now goes. Fleury and Lehner are apparently fine.
Lehner Blames the Agent, Not His Teammate
Lehner weighed in Sunday with his thoughts on the whole situation. After posting a 26-save shutout on Sunday against Vancouver, he’s certainly going to continue to be the guy between the pipes for the Golden Knights.
Lehner squashed potential rumors of their being an issue between the two goalies when he said, “Me and Marc were just laughing. It’s always the media and everyone else that makes a big deal out of this.” He added, “I think me and Marc we get along great; he’s a really good guy.”
Lehner went on to say that the team, as a whole, will not be affected by the misguided actions of one agent. He explained:
“This team is a [heck] of a group and everyone is really tight, and when this happened, I saw Marc and we were just laughing. That’s all it is. At the end of the day, he didn’t do anything. It was his agent, and if he wants to be unprofessional, go ahead. He looks terrible, but it is what it is.”
Clearly, this means that Fleury has told Lehner he didn’t have prior knowledge of the photo, something he hinted at during his earlier media conference. Lehner seems to believe Fleury. Not everyone else does.
Fleury is 2-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .886 save percentage since play restarted earlier this month and the organization can’t be pleased about what’s gone down over the past 48 hours. At the very least, it’s been an unnecessary distraction.
Today, the focus for the Golden Knights will be to continue their strong play. When they postseason is over, the team can take care of what comes next for Fleury and how he reacts when Lehner gets a big, fat contract offer.
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