Montreal Canadiens: What to Do With Charlie Lindgren
By Omar L
Charlie Lindgren had a historic start to his 2017-18 season with the Montreal Canadiens. Is this injury call up the only time fans will see him in the NHL?
There were a lot of problems with the Montreal Canadiens this season so far. First it was their ability to score and then goaltending in combination with poor defensive efforts. The Habs have been able to get more goals each night, but it’s been their responsible play that has been an integral part to their recent success.
Goaltending was still a little shaky. With Carey Price taking a seat over the weekend, eyes were on Al Montoya and Charlie Lindgren. The former continued his solid play which wasn’t a surprise. However, seeing what Lindgren did in Sunday’s win against the Chicago Blackhawks was incredible. According to hockey-reference.com, the 23-year-old became the first Habs goalie since 2008 to have a shutout in one of their first four games.
You have to think that Lindgren played well enough to get the next start Tuesday to take on the Vegas Golden Knights.
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When Lindgren played for the Montreal Canadiens, you got the sense that he may be an option to back up Price in the future. However, watching him play in this stint makes you think that he’s the real deal. Lindgren will be an NHL starter one day as long as he continues to improve.
The next question is that if he is set to be a starter in the future, is it with the Montreal Canadiens? Price is the team’s number one goaltender, and he will be for the next eight years. Although he’s banged up a bit and in need of a rebound game, there’s no other goalie that will lead the Habs to a deep playoff run.
It’s tough to think, but Lindgren is most likely going to be a possible piece in a deal one day. The only other options is if its Montoya who is moved, but Marc Bergevin is less likely to get as much value. Again, trading Carey Price is not and will not be an option for the team.
For the time being, Lindgren will return to the Laval Rocket once Price is ready to go. Hopefully he can lead that team to a deep playoff run of its own and allow Laval to have a successful season in its inaugural year. That being said, we all know where Lindgren belongs.
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What do you think the future is for Lindgren? Will he be a starter somewhere someday? Let us know in the comments.