Looking back at Robin Lehner's playing time with the Vegas Golden Knights

When fans look at Robin Lehner's tenure as a Vegas Golden Knights goaltender, they see a player marred by hip injuries and scandal. The netminder hasn't stepped on the ice since 2021-22, with his role shifting from stopping shots to providing emergency salary cap relief. Declaring bankruptcy from a Missouri snake farm and murder are some of the problems he's faced.

Recently, one part of that case closed, with Lehner and his wife agreeing to pay back $3 million from the case on June 14. But that's not the only problem he's faced. The franchise has moved on from the 33-year-old netminder, going with a combination of Adin Hill and Logan Thompson for two seasons before sticking with Hill full-time. It's the type of story that equates to having a fall from grace.

While that's certainly the case with the Swedish goalie, there are numerous layers to his tenure with the Golden Knights. He was more than LTIR fodder for the team, used to acquire pieces such as Noah Hanifin and Ivan Barbashev. At one point, he was supposed to be the heir apparent to Marc-Andre Fleury for Vegas. But what part of his legacy makes it more complicated than one would think?

Robin Lehner was a good goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights

Before Adin Hill and Logan Thompson replaced Robin Lehner's services, the goaltender was actually a viable player. During his Vegas Golden Knights career, he posted a GAA of 2.61 and a save percentage of .910 in three seasons. That included three shutouts during his time with the Golden Knights.

He also won the Jennings trophy with Marc-Andre Fleury for their outstanding work during the 2021 season. While Fleury put in a majority of the work and even won the Vezina Trophy that year, Lehner posted respectable stats. He had a GAA of 2.29 and a save percentage of .913, giving the Golden Knights one of the most potent netminding duos in the league.

Even his campaign before coming to Vegas was stellar, despite a minor hiccup with the Chicago Blackhawks. In 2018-19 with the New York Islanders, Lehner had a GAA of 2.13 and a save percentage of .930. He brought that success to the Golden Knights, making him a reliable player when he was on the ice.

With that, the Swedish netminder's legacy with Vegas will remain a mystery. Some will point at his off-ice issues and say that he didn't pan out the way they'd hoped. That's true, for he's being used as LTIR fodder. However, there's a case that he did more for the team than one would realize. That part is where fans can give thanks for his services.