It's getting closer to the 2024-25 NHL season, and the speculations regarding Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner are not melting away. An already heated situation had a new development on Friday as the U.S. Bankruptcy Judge ordered the freezing of Lehner and wife Donya Lehner's assets. The move, the result of a filing by creditor Aliya Growth Fund, has added another layer in the complexity of Lehner's off-ice struggles.
This is coupled with allegations of questionable financial dealings by the Lehners. The filing, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, alleges that since the bankruptcy declaration in 2022, the couple has continued their extensive spending and has transferred funds out of their bank accounts to non-creditors. Aliya Growth Fund, concerned by the financial activities of the Lehners regarding its claim to recover $4.8 million it allegedly owed against them, made this big legal move.
Robin Lehner and his wife initially filed for bankruptcy last December 2022, estimating their debt to be between $10 million and $50 million. An important contributor to this financial collapse was the business RL Exotics LLC, a snake-breeding operation of exotics that Lehner had invested in. It seems that the spending habits of the married couple have not really changed with their financial situation, and that is a fact that complicates the case even more.
Now, with Judge Natalie Cox freezing the couple's assets, the Lehners will be allowed to tap only $25,000 per month from their account for living expenses and legal fees. That greatly contrasts with the couple's current lavish lifestyle and brings into question just how financially stable they now are. Lehner, who missed training camp earlier this month, has added to speculation about whether his financial woes are affecting his career.
For Robin Lehner, with these mounting issues, both on and off the ice, the goaltender's future in the NHL only continues to get cloudier and cloudier. He was set to enter the final year of a five-year contract with the Golden Knights, carrying an average annual value of $5 million. The mix of financial and personal issues has led many fans and analysts alike to wonder if he will be back on the ice this season. The situation is, unfortunately, the clearest reminder of how even the most successful athletic career can be sidetracked in a moment by off-ice problems.
POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 28 | 195 ANSWERS Robin Lehner has bank account frozen by bankruptcy judge Will Robin Lehner ever play for Vegas again? | ||
Yes | 19 | 9.7 % |
No | 176 | 90.3 % |
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