The Blackhawks finally waved the white flag and traded goalie Robin Lehner to the Vegas Golden Knights just minutes before the deadline.
Lehner was reported to have been headed to the Carolina Hurricanes, but the reports are that Carolina did not feel they could sign him to an extension.
The Blackhawks signed Lehner to a one-year, $5 million deal late in the day on July 1 after talks fell apart with his previous team, the New York Islanders. He has proven to be an elite-level goaltender for the second year in a row with a 16–10–5 record and a .918 save percentage behind a team that has given up the most shots on net per game in the entire NHL.
In return for Lehner, the Blackhawks acquired Malcolm Subban, prospect Slava Demin and a 2020 second-round draft pick from Vegas. Also as part of the deal, the Golden Knights acquired unsigned prospect Martins Dzierkals from Toronto in exchange for a 2020 fifth-round pick.
The deal breaks down to:
Vegas cap hit of $1.4 million.
Toronto cap hit of $1.1 million.
Chicago cap hit of $2.5 million.
CHI gets a 2nd and a prospect in package for Robin Lehner. #SNTrade
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 24, 2020