The Vegas Golden Knights went into the trade deadline winners of their past six games and in first place in the dog’s breakfast known as the Pacific Division. They’ve done that with a 35-year-old goalie and three backups who were wholly unreliable. That’s why they went out and got Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks.
The price, which was goalie Malcolm Subban, a second-round pick and prospect defenseman Slava Demin, made it worthwhile, particularly since they had two-second rounders in 2020 going into the deadline. It’s not a terribly high price for the Golden Knights to get the first real goaltending insurance they’ve had since they came into the league.