The goaltender signed a one-year, $4-million contract that will keep him in the Sabres' crease for at least the 2017-18 season, at the end of which he'll once again become a restricted free agent.
In an interview with WGR 550 in Buffalo on Tuesday, Lehner admitted signing for a longer term would have been nice, but in his mind, he's in it for the long haul.
"At the end of the day, I think my decision the whole time is I want to be in Buffalo," Lehner said. "I like this city a lot. I want to keep building with this team. I'm happy I got another year here. One year or longer term - long term would be nice. One year is fine too.
"I'm confident in my abilities to be a good goalie in this league. If it's one year on paper, that's fine. I'm obviously a restricted free agent one more year after this. I'll take it year-by-year, try to focus on the season, and we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens next year."
Lehner was acquired by the Sabres in 2015 with a view to installing him as the No. 1 goalie coming out of a serious rebuild. That process has not gone as planned, leading to the firing of general manager Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma at the end of last season, both of whom have since been replaced by Jason Botterill and Phil Housley, respectively.
Lehner has spoken to both new hires and is excited about Housley's more defensive-minded approach. His hope is that the changes on and off the ice will benefit the team, and, by extension, his contract situation moving forward.
"Again, I'm not going to approach it to have a good season to get my long-term deal ... obviously, there's a business aspect to the game too, but I think team success kind of leads to personal success here.
"We talked a lot last year about a lot of different areas that we needed to improve on – personal and as a team. It's like a little puzzle. There's a lot of pieces you've got to get in place here and I think piece by piece it's getting better. But we'll just have to keep working and see where it takes us."
In two seasons with the Sabres, Lehner has posted a record of 28-35-13 with a .921 save percentage.
A 2012 mid-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets, the Michigan native was given no shortage of opportunity in 2016-17, appearing in 56 games and posting a 26-19-4 record.
While the 24-year-old gets a passing grade in the team categories, individually he did not stack up as well. At .907, his save percentage ranked 19th among the 21 netminders with at least 50 starts, while his 2.89 GAA didn't fare any better, sitting second-last among his peers.
On Monday, Hellebuyck inked a one-year extension in Winnipeg, a deal which will see him earn $2.25 million next season and will serve as his chance to show why he deserves to remain part of the team's future.
"It's all on the line," Hellebuyck told Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun on Monday. "I learned a lot, got a whole lot better (last season), but I have a whole lot more to give. I got more to offer than what I showed last year. I look forward to doing that this year ... I owe these guys my best every night."
Hellebuyck saw the bulk of work in Winnipeg's crease last season, ahead of Michael Hutchinson and the experienced Ondrej Pavelec. But he'll have a new veteran voice in his corner this year after the Jets recruited former Philadelphia Flyers netminder Steve Mason in free agency, who was brought in on a two-year pact.
"I'm going to learn from (Mason)," Hellebuyck said. "He's a veteran guy who's been through the ropes. I'm going to take what I can from him. And you know what? It's going to push us both as goalies."
Mason can certainly relate to Hellebuyck, who put his name on the NHL map in 2008-09. That season, a 20-year-old Mason posted 33 wins in 61 games to drag the Columbus Blue Jackets to their first-ever playoff appearance. He was later rewarded with rookie of the year honors.
As he heads to Winnipeg, Mason may not see the crease as often as he did in his rookie campaign, especially with Hellebuyck motivated to shine when called upon.
"I'm going to (give) every ounce of effort I can on the ice to prove that I belong here and show them that last year was a fluke," Hellebuyck added. "I know I have more to give and I'm going to do that this year and prove it."
Defenseman Mark Streit signed a one-year deal worth a reported $700,000 with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, nine years after leaving the team that drafted him 262nd overall in 2004, and for whom he played three seasons before moving on.
"Montreal always had a special place in my heart because I started there," he said on the team's website. "One thing I really always missed was playing at the Bell Centre. It's a unique rink with unique fans and a unique atmosphere. If you get the chance to play in front of them every night - with the atmosphere and the life in the city - I think it's very motivating."
Streit was used sparingly by the Penguins during their recent run to a Stanley Cup win, recording two assists in three playoff appearances. He feels he still has much to contribute, though, especially on the man advantage.
"I'm still a pretty good power-play player," he said. "I think that was my biggest asset 12 years ago, and it still is. I think power play is about experience and reading and reacting, and I think that gave me the opportunity to establish myself in the NHL. If I can help the PP out, I would love to do that.
"You get older and you get smarter. The game is getting faster and faster. I think I picked up a few things and got better at it."
Streit recorded six goals and 21 assists in 68 games split between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh last season, with 17 of those points coming on the power play.
At the NHL draft back in June, general manager David Poile made it clear he didn't plan on using his defense corps to get active in the summer trade market. Despite adding Emelin by way of the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a third-round pick a few days later, he has not changed his tune.
"I just felt it was an opportunity that I didn't want to pass up on at this time," Poile said Monday, per Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. "Oftentimes you get to the trade deadline and you pay a king's ransom to get Alexei Emelin. You may have to pay a first-round pick to get a rental like that. Part of our job here is to provide depth to create competition."
As such, the plan is to carry all eight defensemen currently under contract into training camp and to begin next season. It's a luxury Nashville can afford, considering many of them carry team-friendly deals.
Player
2017-18 Cap hit
P.K. Subban
$9M
Roman Josi
$4M
Mattian Ekholm
$3.75M
Alexei Emelin
$3M
Ryan Ellis
$2.25M
Yannick Weber
$650000
Matt Irwin
$650000
Anthony Bitetto
$612500
Poile didn't rule out making minor moves, but there doesn't appear to be merit to the idea that the team will ship out a core defenseman to bring in a high-profile forward.
"Could there be something in terms of a little more depth here and there? Maybe," Poile conceded. "But right now it feels like we're pretty close to our roster."
Emelin averaged 21:19 a night for the Montreal Canadiens last season, and registered two goals, eight assists and a Corsi rating of 50 at even strength, per Hockey Reference.
The aftermath of yet another fruitless playoff run hasn't been easy for the Washington Capitals.
After earning a second consecutive Presidents' Trophy, and going all in to acquire top deadline prize Kevin Shattenkirk, Washington wilted once again in the second round of the playoffs at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The roster rearrangement has caused many to wonder how competitive Washington can be going forward - a notion general manager Brian MacLellan simply can't understand.
"People make it seem like we're a lottery team," MacLellan said, according to Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post. "I'm shocked by that. We've got good players. I want people to know: We've got a good team."
While the Capitals certainly lost plenty of talent this offseason, they can still roll out a forward corps featuring Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, complemented by Oshie and Kuznetsov. Not to mention, world-class netminder Braden Holtby is locked in Washington's crease for another three seasons. That core, at the very least, should be enough to compete for a playoff spot.
Still, on paper, as August approaches, a slight step backward in the standings may appear imminent for the Capitals - and how they recover from last season's disappointment shall be an intriguing storyline to monitor when the NHL returns in October.
— Belleville Senators (@BellevilleSens) July 25, 2017
The Belleville Senators finally have an identity.
The AHL club of the Ottawa Senators, which will begin its first season in Belleville, Ontario next year, unveiled its new look Tuesday, one that closely resembles the heritage emblem of the parent club.
The Senators arrive in Belleville after uprooting from Binghamton, N.Y., marking the return of hockey in the city after the OHL's Bulls left for Hamilton in 2015.
As for the old stomping grounds, that market will now be served by the newly-created Binghamton Devils, the minor-league affiliate of New Jersey, which will move west from Albany, N.Y.
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was clearly out of his element Tuesday while training with former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, who, even at 43 years old, remains incredibly quick on his feet.
Now the question is, how would Owens fare on skates?
The Ottawa Senators were wrong to fear forward Mika Zibanejad's looming salary increase when trading him last summer; however, they still made the right call in swapping him for Derick Brassard.
Zibanejad and the Rangers agreed to a five-year extension on Tuesday worth an annual average value of $5.35 million, a reasonable figure the Sens would likely have been comfortable with had they kept their former first-rounder.
Brassard is under contract with Ottawa for only two more years, but has a cheaper cap hit at $5 million per season.
And production-wise, Brassard has been slightly more effective.
Zibanejad had an edge on Brassard in early career development, entering the the NHL on a full-time basis at age 19. Through 337 career games, the 24-year-old has recorded 188 points (0.56 PPG).
Brassard wasn't a regular member of the Columbus Blue Jackets until his third season, when he was 21, but he's put up 382 points in 644 games (0.59 PPG).
Zibanejad is set to take over the Rangers' first-line center duties from the departedDerek Stepan, so he could outpace Brassard in the points category going forward. However, Brassard is a superior defensive forward.
Brassard had a career-best Corsi For rating of 53.98 percent last season. The Senators averaged 52.58 percent of scoring chances and 55.56 percent of all goals scored when he was on the ice in 5-on-5 situations.
The Rangers averaged 54.69 percent of the 5-on-5 goals with Zibanejad on the ice, but he owned an individual Corsi For rating of just 49.3 percent.
More ice time for Zibanejad could also exaggerate the flaws in his defensive game.
Zibanejad should have an easy enough time accounting for Stepan's point production, but when it comes to filling the role of a true No. 1 center, he may find it difficult facing tougher competition.
What's more, the seemingly small difference in salaries separating the two players shouldn't be overlooked.
When it comes to re-signing Brassard after the 2018-19 season, the Sens will need every bit of that $350,000 and more in order to sign fellow free-agent-to-be Erik Karlsson.
Team Canada's roster for the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea is beginning to take shape.
Canada's men's national team will participate in two tournaments in Russia this August - the Sochi Hockey Open and the Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov - as an evaluation process for choosing the final names that will head to the Olympics.
When Chris Kontos took the ice at Tampa's Expo Hall on Oct. 6, 1992, nobody could have anticipated that the 29-year-old would erupt for four goals in the first game in Lightning franchise history. I recently spoke with Kontos, now 53 and the president of a digital service company in Midland, Ont., about his history-making night:
Let's start with how you wound up in Tampa Bay in the first place.
The year before, I was with the Canadian Olympic team, and on the way to Albertville, I was battling a small groin injury and the NHL had lent a couple of players to join the team. I guess I was low man on the totem pole - I was cut at the airport flying into Albertville.
Dave King was the (Canadian Olympic team) coach, but (Lightning head coach) Terry Crisp was the assistant - and there's your connection.
What were your initial thoughts on being part of an expansion team?
It was great. I was a seasoned player by then, I had played quite a few years. It was almost having nine lives ... I started with the Rangers, had a stint in Pittsburgh for a couple of seasons, then went to L.A., then the Olympic team. Either my eighth or ninth life was to get a shot in Tampa.
I wasn't a slouch of a player. Even though you get labeled as a journeyman, I was a first-round draft pick, I was skilled, I had talent. I felt I could help, it was just a matter of somebody opening a door. Crispy said, "Sign and come down, and see what happens." So I did.
Did you have a sense beforehand that you were in for a big night?
No, not really. I don't have the stats from training camp, but I was pretty consistent all the way through training camp, which is what opened the door for me to get into the starting lineup.
So let's go over the goals. Take me through the first one.
It was a power play. We were moving the puck around, and I think I just got to the side of the net into a seam where I just kind of went undetected. Rob Zamuner slap-passed it to me and I was at the right place in the right time and just passed it into the net.
On the second goal, you did a great job winning a battle on the half-wall and then headed straight for the net.
John Tucker threw it across to me and I just took a big whack at it. I think the defenseman was trying to block it, and everything kind of went into the net.
What are you thinking about at this point?
The Fairgrounds was sold out, the electricity was great ... you just kind of go with it. Everybody's happy, everybody's pumped. Ed Belfour was the Vezina winner the year before, and we're taking on the Chicago Blackhawks, and we're on the right side of the score.
On the third goal, you happen to swoop into the slot just as the puck is sitting there on a platter for you.
Those kinds of goals are just opportunistic; right place at the right time. I wasn't Brett Hull, I didn't have a 100-mile-per-hour snap shot that put the puck under the bar in the apex of the corner. Just get it on net, follow it up, and if there's a rebound ...
Even when I clinic kids nowadays, I say, "Just hit the net." I think that one went five-hole on Belfour. He came out and his legs were open and I threw a little sauce on it and it went just over his stick and between his legs. If he does get a piece of it, I'm still going toward the net for a rebound. I'd rather hit the net than miss it and have to backcheck. (laughs)
Describe the scene after you complete the hat trick.
My godfather from Clearwater was at the game with his family; he's a Michiganite but he's been down there for 35 years now. When I got the hat trick, he was so excited that he threw his hat on the ice, and the ushers, I guess they were instructed that, if anybody throws anything on the ice, throw 'em out. (laughs) So the usher was like, "Sir, come on, you're out."
I think even (general manager Phil Esposito) saw it and said, "No, no, no! In hockey that's allowed! When someone scores three, that's the tradition! You throw hats!" The Floridians were just so new to hockey; they had a steep learning curve in the beginning but they loved it, because they were right into it. And to start with a 7-3 win was a great way to kick it off.
So, with three in the bag and your team enjoying a four-on-three advantage late in the second, you strike again. Take me through that goal.
That one was just a reaction. Joe Reekie saw me at the side of the net and I just knew it was coming hard enough. I redirected it between my legs to where I thought it was going to hit the net and I squeezed it past Belfour.
I think I had pretty good hands as a player, I had gone on some runs before. I was actually more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer if you looked at my career production, but that's fine.
I can't help but notice that, when the camera pans to you on the bench after each goal, you look mostly indifferent. No smile. Not even a hint of a smile! What was that about?
I had been playing pro for 12 years. I wish I played every game like a 1,000-game player in the NHL, but it was a grind for me. I'd get called up, do my best, if the numbers or the politics weren't right, I'd get sent down. If the contract wasn't right, I'd go to Europe and play, and then come back because somebody else was giving me a shot.
It was a euphoric feeling, just the feeling of being back and trying to make a mark for myself so that I can stay in the NHL.
Where do you keep the pucks from that game?
They were in a drawer in my basement, and then we used to have a backyard rink, and I'm pretty sure they're in the lake now. I think the kids, when they ran out of pucks, would just go look for pucks and grab them. I don't know, I might have them. They had tape around them, but the kids didn't care.
That night kick-started an amazing run in which you scored 18 goals in your first 18 games, prompting me to ask for (and receive) your jersey from my parents as a Christmas gift. What was the key to that run?
I was just doing what I always tried to do. If you look back, when I was in Los Angeles, I went on a bit of a run in the playoffs, and felt like if I was given the opportunity, I thought I could produce. But that's not always the case in hockey. There's all kind of factors that determine whether a guy plays, or doesn't play, or what line he plays on, or how much power-play time he gets.
That's just the way it is. It's no different than a Broadway play where there's the star actors and the supporting actors and the guys behind the scenes. There's a hierarchy - and sometimes you can get into a good position and sometimes you can't.
The Lightning had one of the more interesting seasons of any expansion team in history. What stands out most for you from that year?
The team wasn't built on star-studded names. Crisp had the guys working 100 percent every night. There were a lot of one-goal games. We just did our best.
