Sabres’ goalie Robin Lehner had surgery Wednesday afternoon on his right ankle, ending his first season with the club early. The team reports that it was a successful procedure.
After injuring his ankle in the season opener, Lehner missed the majority of the season. He started just 21 games, posting a 5-9-5 record, with a .942 save percentage and a 2.47 goals against average. While his record is nothing to write home about, he did show signs of a true #1 goalie.
Lehner had missed five games since a 3-2 OT loss to the Canadiens on March 16. Since then, Chad Johnson has taken over and Nathan Lieuwen has served as the team’s backup.
After acquiring Lehner for a first-round draft pick last June from Ottawa, General Manager Tim Murray had high hopes for the Swedish netminder to take over as the Sabres’ starter this year. The trade raised eyebrows at the time and given his inability to stay healthy, has raised frustrations as well. He has yet to start more than 36 games in any one of his five NHL seasons.