Robin Lehner may have landed in the perfect spot.
The 24-year-old goalie was sent from the Ottawa Senators to the division-rival Buffalo Sabres this summer, and appears primed to land a No. 1 gig for the first time in his young career.
While moving from a playoff team to the team with the worst record in the league over the past two seasons may not seem all that appealing, Lehner sees the Sabres as a team on the rise.
"(General manager Tim Murray) has a goal and he's going to do it," Lehner told Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. "I think we have a really good offensive team. There's (Jack) Eichel and other great young players like (Evander) Kane, (Ryan) O'Reilly, and (Tyler) Ennis. We have a lot of good young players."
While Lehner identifies the inroads Buffalo's made up front, the blue line still needs work in order to rank among the NHL's more competitive squads. In other words, Murray still has some work to do.
For his part, Lehner won't be resting on his laurels when Sabres training camp kicks off later this month.
"I'm really looking forward to the opportunity in Buffalo, it's a good organization and obviously, I know Tim (Murray)," Lehner said, referring to Murray's time as Ottawa's assistant GM. "It's a great opportunity there for me, but you get what you earn and I don't expect to just play because I want to play. I want to play well."
In 86 career appearances, Lehner has posted a record of 30-36-13, with a save percentage of .914. In some ways, though, he's really only just getting started.
Lehner and the Sabres will host the Senators in their season opener on Oct. 8.
