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Buffalo Lehnding Company

August 26, 2016, 11:16 AM ET [53 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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Robin Lehner has gotten well acquainted with Buffalo, NY this summer.

The ginormous goalie switched his offseason routine by staying in Buffalo to workout with teammates and rehab his right ankle. Lehner would normally head back to his native Sweden for the summer after locker clean out day. Not this time around.

Sabres GM Tim Murray issued a statement that underscores the Sabres' urgency to have their starting goalie live and train in Buffalo so as to have direct access to the team physicians and coaching staff.

"As Robin continues to progress during the offseason in his rehab from last season's ankle injury, he felt that it was best to withdraw from Team Sweden for the upcoming World Cup," Buffalo general manager Tim Murray said in a statement. "Robin felt it was important to continue his rehab in Buffalo to prepare for training camp. He has been working out both on and off the ice and we look forward to seeing him on the ice with our team next month."

Last summer, Lehner arrived at training camp in less than ideal condition from a physical fitness point of view. Lehner suffered a major concussion when he and then Ottawa teammate Clarke MacArthur collided on February 16, 2015. Lehner was not able to exercise and do fitness training during the summer is 2015 due to strict orders given to him by his neurologist. When Buffalo camp opened last September, Lehner was behind the eight ball having gained a considerable amount of weight due to his lack of skating and exercise. He struggled at times in preseason games by allowing a few goals that he'd like to have back. Then on opening night of the 2015-16 season while facing the Senators for the first time ever in a Sabres uniform, Lehner cheesed his right ankle in a freak accidental stumble as he skated from the trapezoid back to his crease. Lehner toe picked his skate in a crevice left in the ice and more bad news ensued. Lehner would miss over ninety days of the season due to the sensitive nature of his injury. Even when he came back to the lineup he complained of soreness in the ankle. In March, Lehner underwent surgery to repair his ailment.

The Sabres are committed to making the playoffs in 2016-17. The won't get there with an ailing Lehner in their net. Chad Johnson was a godsend for the Sabres last season filling in for Lehner. Johnson signed a UFA contract with the Calgary Flames. Prospect Linus Ullmark will need more time to develop in AHL Rochester. There is no way on earth that the Sabres can survive if recent UFA signee Anders Nilsson is forced to back up Lehner for an extended period of games. Nilsson is the owner of an abysmal .900 career save percentage and 3.09 GAA. Good luck with that. Murray thought that he had signed former Pittsburgh Penguins puck stopper Jeff Zatkoff as a UFA. Zatkoff signed instead in LA.









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According to Uffe Bodin of Hockeysverige.se, Team Sweden's head coach Rikard Grönborg has announced that Buffalo Sabres starting goalie Robin Lehner has yet to return to form after last season's surgery to correct a high ankle sprain.

Lerner has withdrawn from Team Sweden's World Cup hockey team.

Former Buffalo Sabre, LA King, Dallas Stars tender Jhonas Enroth will a replacing Lehner.

Lehner, 25, has bigger fish to fry than to play the bench warmer role for the Sabres. Hank Lundqvist and Jacob Markstrom will back stop Sweden at the World Cup.

Lehner had surgery in March after suffering through chronic ankle pain symptoms.

The Mean Swede will be Buffalo's starting goalie in 2016-17. The mammoth tender suffered a high ankle (right) sprain just 30 minutes into his Buffalo debut on opening night last October.

Lehner was forced to miss three months before returning and playing 20 games last season.




I like that Lehner is pulling out of the World Cup. He gets paid millions of dollars to stop puck go the Buffalo Sabres. Team Sweden pays Lehner nothing. When healthy last season, Lehner battle and scrapped his was to dominating performances. He finished his abbreviated season with a sterling .924 save percentage and a respectable 2.47 GAA. I expect a healthy Lehner to post similar numbers this season. On locker clean out day in April, Lehner told me at his goal for this season is to come to training camp in the best physical shap of his career. He wants to be the starting goalie that leads his Sabres back to the Stanley Cup playoffs. I feel that a healthy Lehner will the Sabres to a playoff berth.
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