When the Buffalo Sabres were preparing to open the season last week, it was pretty well set in stone that Robin Lehner and Chad Johnson would be the team’s goaltending duo for the forseeable future.
That changed pretty quickly on Thursday night, as Lehner suffered a lower-body injury in the midst of the Sabres’ opening-night game.
Lehner was unable to finish the game, leaving Johnson to make his Buffalo Sabres debut.
He also was spotted walking out of First Niagara Center with crutches and a walking boot.
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As a result, the Buffalo Sabres called up Nathan Lieuwen after his first AHL game of the season Friday night, and he’d play back-up to Johnson on Saturday afternoon as the Sabres hosted the Lightning.
Shortly after, we got an update about the status of Lehner’s injury, believed to be longer-term rather than shorter.
#Sabres Coach Bylsma says Lehner has a high-ankle sprain, roughly timeline for recovery is 6-10 weeks.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 11, 2015
This leaves Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray in a pinch to find another goaltender. Sure, it’s great to have AHL goaltenders such as Lieuwen (or Andrey Makarov, or maybe even Linus Ullmark, who made 38 saves in his North American debut). But if Lehner’s injury is long-term – which it is – it’s a little hard to justify holding onto a goaltending tandem of Chad Johnson and an AHL goaltender for that long.
So while there was a waiting period of a few days where the team was kind of like “Well, let’s see what EXACTLY is going on with Lehner first…,” that time has now passed. With the possibility that Lehner could miss up to two months of play, it’s time for Tim Murray to take action.
The Buffalo Sabres missed out on a great chance to claim Ben Scrivens via waivers last week – prior to Lehner’s injury – but he could be a solid option for them now. They’d have to make a trade for him, as he cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, but what would the price be? And what would you be willing to give up for Scrivens, who has 129 games of NHL experience – a small sample size, but still more than either Johnson or Lehner.
If the Sabres elect to go the free agent route, they may find things a little difficult. Many NHL free agent goalies that could’ve otherwise been gems have signed overseas in the KHL or elsewhere.
But one free agent option: former Rochester Americans netminder David Leggio, who is currently without a contract after getting cut by the Winnipeg Jets.
One hot-button name that’s been tossed around a little bit is Jonas Hiller.
Again, it would have to be a trade for Hiller, but he seems to be the odd man out in Calgary and could be a great option for the Buffalo Sabres.
While the question in the past few days was “What is Lehner’s injury status?,” that’s no longer the question. Now the question seems to be not IF Tim Murray will make a move to acquire another NHL goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, but WHEN he’ll make that move – and just what kind of move it will be.
Next: Lehner Injured in Season Opener
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