The Vegas Golden Knights have placed goaltender Robin Lehner and forward Reilly Smith on injured reserve. Two of Vegas’ remaining top players now join a list that already included Mark Stone, Alec Martinez, Mattias Janmark, Brayden McNabb, and Brett Howden.
Lehner was previously sent home during the Golden Knights road trip for some additional testing in regards to a lower-body injury that was ailing him.
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He’s missed time on a few occasions this year, and now that he’s on injured reserve he will remain there for a minimum of seven days.
Smith suffered an injury during the Golden Knights’ loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, and this could complicate things ahead of the trade deadline. Injuries are piling up for the Golden Knights, and Smith is set to be an unrestricted free agent that Vegas is likely unable to re-sign. If his injury is a minor one, something that will keep him out a week or so, there’s a chance he could still be traded.
It may be tempting for the Golden Knights to hold onto him in the hopes that everyone currently injured will be healthy enough come playoff time, but the way the Western Conference is shaping up, it may not be worth it for Vegas in the long run. There’s more than enough time for the front office to evaluate, and odds are some decisions will be made on what the team will do at the deadline by the end of the week.
With both players no longer on the active roster, the Golden Knights recalled Paul Cotter and Brayden Pachal from Henderson.
⚔️ Paul Cotter and Brayden Pachal have been recalled from the @HSKnights #VegasBorn #HomeMeansHenderson pic.twitter.com/dLm6raSvwz
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 14, 2022
Cotter, a 22-year-old forward, has appeared in six games for Vegas this season and has tallied two goals. In 40 games with the Silver Knights, Cotter has a line of 12-11-33. He was selected 115th overall by the Golden Knights in the 2018 draft.
Pachal, a 22-year-old defenseman, has appeared in 47 games with the Silver Knights this season, and has a line of 1-7-8.