Robin Lehner spoke out against the NHL over the weekend. Here's what you need to know.
Robin Lehner is not messing around.
The Golden Knights netminder sent a particularly damning shot across the NHL's bow on Saturday evening, openly accusing the league on Twitter of providing players with benzodiazepines and Ambien without a prescription, while also threatening to release one story per day detailing the NHL's malpractice until things "get fixed".
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, benzodiazepines are some of the most addictive drugs on the market, with side effects including slurred speech, memory loss, muscle weakness, and, in severe cases, causing the user to fall into a coma.
Speaking with ESPN the next day, Lehner revealed the method behind his comments, explaining that going public with these accusations was in part done to raise awareness around Buffalo Sabres captain, Jack Eichel and his current situation.
Eichel, who hasn't played since March 7th due to a herniated disk in his neck, is currently embroiled in a stalemate with the Sabres over the method of treatment he is permitted to use to treat said injury, with the Sabres standing vehemently against their star centre undergoing a spinal fusion procedure that, while carrying a longer recovery period and never having been performed on a professional hockey player before, is thought to provide the best long-term outlook. Eichel, in the months since his diagnosis, has reportedly sought out multiple medical opinions that reiterate a spinal fusion to be the best course of action. The Sabres, obviously, disagree.
What is essentially occurring here is Jack Eichel being held captive by his employer.
The 24-year-old currently floats in medical limbo, equally unable to play due to injury and undergo the procedure that he and his doctors believe will help fix it.
Despite exercising what little rights players have and requesting a trade, the Sabres have not budged, going so far as to even strip Eichel of the team's captaincy in a move that almost certainly closes the door on any future reconciliation between the two sides.
The outcome is clear. But until either Eichel or the Sabres relent, one of the league's best young players will be held off the ice for no good reason.
Lehner's goal, then, is to shed light on just how little autonomy NHLers have over their own bodies.
On Sunday morning, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the NHL plans to reach out to Lehner in order to conduct a formal interview regarding his accusations. As Lehner told ESPN, he had yet to hear from the league as of Sunday afternoon. And as of the time of publication, there has been no formal announcement of an interview agreement.
Regardless, this story is far from over.