News broke on Thursday that the Vegas Golden Knights would get cap relief by wiping netminder Robin Lehner’s contract from the books. The embattled Swedish netminder did not report to camp as he continues to handle personal issues back home.
Interestingly, the Golden Knights, the NHL, and the NHLPA all agreed that the club has agreed to pay Lehner his $4.5 million salary in exchange for the cap space since his finances are frozen through his bankruptcy proceedings.
As expected, the hockey community took to social media to cry foul (yet again) on Vegas, which seems to have the NHL bend every rule for one of the newest franchises. Of course, they are talking about the continuous salary cap circumvention, which is always a hot-button topic around playoff time when injured stars return in time for Game 1.
However, Jason Gregor sent out a tweet that garnered almost two hundred thousand views and was liked over a thousand times:
While following up on a tweet about the Lehner situation and how everything worked out in favor of Vegas, he mentioned that the Montreal Canadiens could ask for the same deal regarding the franchise wins leader, Carey Price.
Price hasn’t skated since Apr. 29, 2022, and may never see the ice again, but he continues to be under contract with the Canadiens. Today, Price remains the highest-paid goalie in the NHL and will continue to make $10.5 million annually on LTIR until the conclusion of next season.
Interestingly, both Price and Lehner have had their struggles with injuries and mental health, so the only thing separating the two netminders is one filed for bankruptcy while the other did not.
Related: Best Canadiens Players Who Didn’t Win the Stanley Cup
Hockey fans can search for Lehner and stumble across Price, as the two are now linked in the endless scrolls of social media. Even though Gregor’s comment was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, he’s not wrong in his assessment of the situation.
It is unfair that one team gets salary cap relief while one of the league’s most decorated and respected organizations is not provided with the same luxury.
Lehner may never return to North America and step foot in an NHL arena, and Price will never strap up the pads and play hockey.
After Thursday’s news, everyone is curious about why the Canadiens can set up an agreement to pay the Price of the $21 million he owes and save cap space by not carrying him on LTIR.
Everyone is thinking about it, but Gregor is the only one who brought up the topic publicly.
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