Before joining the Chicago Blackhawks via free agency this offseason, goalie Robin Lehner was a fan favorite while playing for the New York Islanders despite playing with them for just a single year. This mainly came from the fact of Lehner's self-admitted off-ice struggles, as well as his extremely strong play for the Islanders which earned him a Vezina Trophy nomination.
Back on July 3rd in 2018, Lehner signed with the New York Islanders as a free agent with a one-year, $1.5 million deal. At the time, Lehner's career would've fairly been described as disappointing. Since he was first drafted, Lehner had all kinds of hype yet had failed to show why. At times, he would be unbeatable, only to stink up the joint a few days later. Shortly after signing with the Islanders, Lehner came forward about his personal issues. Lehner admitted to being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. On top of all that, he also said he struggled with alcohol and drug addiction and was rarely ever sleeping, even on game nights.
With Lehner being brave enough to admit his problems, the hockey world gathered in support and rooted for Lehner to not only overcome his demons, but become the goalie he was expected to be. In his first and only season with the Islanders, he certainly didn't disappoint. In 46 starts, the Swedish goaltender posted a jaw-dropping 2.13 goals against average along with a .930 save percentage. In large part due to Lehner's play, the Islanders shocked the hockey world and made the playoffs in convincing fashion, as they placed second in the Metropolitan Division with 103 points.
Unfortunately for the Islanders, they were eliminated in the second round. Despite that, their season was still a major success, and Lehner expressed his willingness to sign an extension and remain an Islander. Lou Lamoriello and the rest of the Islanders management team had other ideas, as they decided to instead sign goaltender Semyon Varlamov to a four-year, $20 million deal.
It would be hard to blame Lehner for being upset with how the situation played out. He certainly played well enough that the argument could be made he was deserving of that extension himself. He appears to feel quite the opposite way however, as he posted this Tweet today that expresses how much he appreciates the time he spent on Long Island.
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It is great to see that Lehner seems to be accepting of how the situation went down. As far as this season goes, he has continued his stellar play for the Blackhawks with a 2.83 goals against average and a .923 save percentage to go along with a 15-8-5 record. After having to settle on another one-year deal this past offseason, Lehner should be able to cash in big time on a contract this summer.
