Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner had himself quite the night on Twitter Saturday. Lehner, who’s gained a reputation for blunt, no holds barred social media posts in the past, took aim squarely at the NHL, accusing them of medical malpractice in the wake of the ongoing Jack Eichel saga.
Amongst his accusations, Lehner insinuated that NHL medical staff regularly give players benzodiazepines and Ambien without proper prescriptions. Eichel, a former teammate of Lehner’s, is in the midst of a surgery stalemate with the Buffalo Sabres on how best to proceed with his injured neck. For his part, Lehner appears to be trying to shine a light on the double standard the league has when it comes to caring for its players.
In a message directed to league headquarters Lehner claims he will begin releasing a story a day until things “get fixed”:
Evidently his social media posts caught the eye of league executives, as there are now reports swirling that the NHL will attempt to contact Lehner to further discuss his claims. Whether Lehner takes the league up on this offer, and whether anything comes from the sit down remains to be seen.
Under the current NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement, team medical staff have final say on how to treat injuries. This is a developing story.