By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Last year William Karlsson felt the loss of buddy Oscar Lindberg, who was traded to the Ottawa Senators in the big Mark Stone trade a year ago to the day Tuesday.
This week, Karlsson had to say goodbye to friend Malcolm Subban, the former VGK goaltender who was shipped to the Chicago Blackhawks in the headline-grabbing trade that brought elite goalie Robin Lehner to Las Vegas Monday.
It never gets easy to see a pal leave town in a trade, Karlsson said after practice in an interview with LVSportsBiz.com.
“It’s tough losing friends. You learn not to take anyone for granted. But at the end of the day, we’re professionals and we’re here to win the Stanley Cup,” Karlsson said as Lehner fielded questions in the opposite corner of the VGK locker room at City National Arena.
It’s a weird business, professional sports. True, you can be fired and lose your job. But you’re not forced to leave town.
And there are some jobs that involve you being transferred to another office in a different part of the country, or being in the military that means moving from base to base.
But few lines of work involve your boss calling you in and saying you’re been shipped off to Seattle, Chicago, New York or Dallas. So, pack your bags and hit the road.
Popular forward Erik Haula was traded last year. So was defenseman Colin Miller. And another original VGKer, Cody Eakin, was recently shipped to the Winnipeg Jets.
VGK goalie Marc-Andre Fleury talked to LVSportsBiz.com about having to stay professional when losing teammates who are traded to other NHL team. Fleury said he gets to re-unite with them when he plays their new teams.
Lehner practiced with his new VGK mates Tuesday at 11 a.m. before a packed City National Arena practice center. Karlsson, a Swede, said he has never talked with Lehner, a fellow Swede, before the trade.
A day earlier Monday, Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon said acquiring Lehner from Chicago was not a message to Fleury or a move to push the Golden Knights veteran goalie, who recently notched his 60th career shutout.
“We had a chance to acquire a great goalie,” McCrimmon told media Monday.
Newly-acquired defenseman Alec Martinez, who scored a key goal in his Golden Knights debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, was sitting near Lehner and looking at the media scrum in front of the new VGK goaltender. Martinez cracked, “I’m glad to not be the new guy anymore.”
Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer welcomed the new goalie, calling both “elite goalies.” He told media today that you might see more of a goaltender rotation, which, DeBoer noted, could help both Fleury and Lehner.
He said there’s always “an emotional piece” to a player being traded, but moves are made with the goal of winning a championship.
“That has to trump everything,” DeBoer said Tuesday.
He noted forward new VGKer Nick Cousins, acquired from Montreal, is expected in Las Vegas Wednesday.
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