Robin Lehner signing signals the end of Marc-Andre Fleury era in Vegas

With their commitment to Robin Lehner, the Vegas Golden Knights have declared Marc-Andre Fleury is available.

It seemed to be moving the direction of a multi-year relationship, and now it’s official. On Saturday, the Vegas Golden Knights announced they’ve signed goaltender Robin Lehner to a five-year, $25 million deal.

Lehner was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline, then he only played three regular season games for the Golden Knights before the season was shut down. But he seized the starting job over Marc Andre-Fleury in the playoffs, and played very well (1.99 GAA, .917 save percentage, four shutouts) in his 16 games. Fleury’s agent didn’t take too well to his client being benched.

The Golden Knights now have $12 million in cap space allocated to Lehner and Fleury, who has two years left on his contract. Fleury has played the good soldier up to this point, saying he would not ask for a trade but also sounding like he knows his future will be elsewhere.

“I want to stay in Vegas,” Fleury told The Athletic’s Jesse Granger. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I’ve loved every moment since I got here.”

He added: “This team means a lot to me, and the city has been so good to me. The fans, and (owner Bill Foley) have been so awesome. It’s a great team, and I thought when I came here that maybe I could retire here. I wanted to end my career here.”

Robin Lehner signing means Fleury era is over in Vegas

Fleury came to Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft. With a winning reputation as a three-time Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh Penguins, he brought instant credibility to the fledgling franchise. In their first season, led by Fleury (2.24 GAA, .927 save percentage, four shutouts that postseason), the Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Final.

The NHL free agent and trade markets are loaded with goaltenders who could be on the move his offseason. The Golden Knights have taken a notable one off the market in Lehner, while simultaneously and officially signaling Fleury is available and the early era of their franchise that he led is over.