New Jersey Devils Trade for Robin Lehner Makes Some Sense

After the Vegas Golden Knights re-signed Stanley Cup hero Adin Hill, Robin Lehner is now the odd-man out after spending the season on LTIR. If he can still play, there’s a world where the New Jersey Devils make sense as a landing spot.

By now, everyone knows of the Vegas Golden Knights and their cap space shenanigans that eventually brought them a Stanley Cup victory this year. Logan Thompson and Mark Stone both missed significant portions of the 2022-23 season whilst Nolan Patrick and Robin Lehner missed the year entirely. With a cap hit of $5 million, Lehner was an easy choice for LTIR.

Aside from the bizarre fraud charges he’s facing in a bankruptcy case, Lehner is also recovering from the hip surgery that wiped out his 2022-23 season. The Golden Knights would probably like to shed some money, and the soon-to-be-32-year-old Robin Lehner could be a high-upside play for a team like the New Jersey Devils.

Jonathan Bernier’s contract is slated to expire, which opens up an LTIR spot for the New Jersey Devils should they need it. Much speculation has been made about Connor Hellebuyck’s trade availability, but the cost for him could be enough to scare Tom Fitzgerald off from making a brash move. Robin Lehner, on the other hand, is a curious case. Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon recently stated that it is too early to consider Lehner’s future, and floated the idea of retirement.

Like Connor Hellebuyck or any other top goaltender, Robin Lehner is supremely talented. However, despite all his talents, Lehner has never won a Vezina Trophy. He came close in 2019. Hockey is a team sport, though, and Lehner has twice won the William M. Jennings Trophy, (usually) awarded to two goaltenders on the same team who combine for the fewest goals against in the regular season.

If recent history has taught us anything, it’s that Vezina-caliber goaltending won’t guarantee a Stanley Cup triumph. Nine of the last 14 Stanley Cup winners had a starting goaltender who never won that top award. The goalies? Adin Hill, Darcy Kuemper, Jordan Binnington, Matt Murray, Jonathan Quick, and Corey Crawford. Murray, Quick, and Crawford combine for six, not including Quick’s win with the Golden Knights.

The Fit

Essentially, Robin Lehner would best be utilized in tandem with Vitek Vanecek. The New Jersey Devils know what they have in Vanecek and shouldn’t feel the need to give Lehner too many games after hip surgery. They also know that Robin Lehner is a really good goaltender that they could trade for in exchange for pretty much nothing, based on the Vegas Golden Knights need to move him.

If something happens to Lehner that he can’t hold up physically a la Jonathan Bernier, the Devils can always place him on LTIR and bring up Akira Schmid, a result that no Devils fan could object to. Lehner was pretty average in Vegas, saving just 2.3 total goals above expected, but he had saved no fewer than 10 in each of the three years before his time with the Golden Knights and before all the injuries. The potential upside is unmistakable if the Devils can get even 75% of prime Robin Lehner.

The Money

Robin Lehner has only two years left on his contract at a $5 million cap hit. If the Devils were to add him today and assign Akira Schmid to Utica, they’d have $18 million to re-sign Timo Meier, Michael McLeod, Kevin Bahl, and whoever else the team decides to keep. Adding Lehner, even with no money retained whatsoever, has very limited impact on the New Jersey Devils’ cap flexibility in the short or long-term. With Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and hopefully Timo Meier all signed long-term, that shouldn’t matter anyways.

A flier on a minimal investment like Robin Lehner could prove to be the difference between winning a Stanley Cup or not for the New Jersey Devils. It’s the little things that end up making the biggest impact.