Report: Lehner to 'almost certainly' play elsewhere next season

Robin Lehner's days with the New York Islanders could be numbered.

The club and the goaltender are far enough apart in contract talks that a league source told The Athletic's Arthur Staple that Lehner will almost certainly play elsewhere next season.

After the unrestricted free-agent negotiating window opened Sunday, the pending UFA said he had no plans to talk to another team at that point. Last week, he said he loves the organization and wants to be back.

Lehner is coming off the one-year, $1.5-million pact he inked with New York last July.

The netminder, who'll turn 28 in July, was one of the best stories of the 2018-19 season. He won the Jennings Trophy along with teammate Thomas Greiss, was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, and won the Masterton Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

During training camp last fall, Lehner revealed his bipolar disorder diagnosis as well as his struggles with substance abuse.

He had a career season on the ice, posting a .930 save percentage in 46 appearances while helping the Islanders complete a turnaround that also earned head coach Barry Trotz the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top head coach.

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