Montreal Canadiens: Charlie Lindgren is Staying

The Montreal Canadiens announced backup goaltender Al Montoya would be out indefinitely with a concussion meaning big news for Charlie Lindgren.

The injury bug has been letting up a little bit with the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price is on injured reserve, but the team got back Jonathan Drouin and Shea Weber. Al Montoya has been away from team practices as of late, and at first, we only knew it was an upper-body injury. Now we have the details.

Montoya will be out indefinitely with a concussion. His last start in the net was last Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets, and it looks like the shot he took off the head may be the cause of this. That’s the second player on the Montreal Canadiens to have suffered from this as Ales Hemsky has been out of the lineup since the team’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks last month.

For the time being, Zachary Fucale will take the mantle of Habs backup goalie. Charlie Lindgren has been playing well for the team as of late, but we can’t expect him to play every single night. Fucale has yet to make his NHL debut despite being called up in the past. Considering Carey Price is still out and this new information on Montoya, his first start may be coming soon.

Taking Some Good Out of the Bad

What this who situation hints at, as terrible as the circumstances are for Montoya, is that Lindgren is staying with the team. The 23-year-old has been unbelievable and had another solid performance for the Montreal Canadiens in their 2-1 overtime win against Buffalo. It was good enough to earn him the first star, and his save percentage is now at .964 which is leading the league (yes, four games, I know).

The Montreal Canadiens would’ve had to reluctantly send Lindgren back down to the Laval Rocket once Price returned, but now there’s an opportunity for him to be the backup for the time being. However, it doesn’t have to be a traditional backup role. Price will figure it out, I do not doubt in my mind that his slump will be very shortlived, but because of how well Lindgren has been playing the Habs can slowly ease him back into the starting role.

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Instead of it being an 80-20 split of games played between a starter and his backup, it may not be that strong of a divide. Lindgren is capable of making saves in the NHL right now. We don’t know if he can handle 50 games though, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get close to that 30 mark if Montoya is out for that long.

Imagine if Lindgren continues to play this well, and Price returns to being Price. The Montreal Canadiens could have one of the most dangerous tandems in the league. Everyone else on the team needs to continue playing the right way; they can’t return to old habits. However, the playoffs, or at the very least getting close to them, will be easier to push for with a Price-Lindgren tandem.

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Has Lindgren done enough to stay in the NHL? Are you excited for a possible Price-Lindgren tandem? Let us know your thoughts down below.