While all eyes are fixed on Jack Eichel, who is set to make his Golden Knights debut on Wednesday against the best-in-West Colorado Avalanche thanks in part to a timely injury, there is perhaps a more interesting situation brewing in the Vegas crease.
GM Kelly McCrimmon indicated on Monday that goaltender Robin Lehner has an “upper-body” injury, which sources say is a torn labrum in his shoulder that will eventually require surgery. Lehner underwent a procedure in the same shoulder in Oct. 2020. He may be able to battle through to finish this season, though that much is not certain.
Because of that uncertainty, McCrimmon and the Golden Knights have been working the phones to gauge the availability of goaltenders around the league.
And that’s where it gets juicy.
Team sources say the Golden Knights have expressed interest in a potential reunion with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Yes, you read that correctly. The same Vezina Trophy-winning netminder that the Golden Knights traded for nothing last July, unceremoniously dumping the face of the franchise.
Will it happen?
There is a whole lot to unpack here.
First, Fleury is not alone on a list of potential targets. Per sources, the Golden Knights have also expressed interest in New York Rangers backup Alexandar Georgiev, who we previously reported let it be known that Georgiev feels he’s ready for a bigger opportunity elsewhere. There are likely others.