The Montreal Canadiens surprised a lot of people by claiming Antii Niemi off of waivers, but what does this mean for the team’s goaltending moving forward?
Minutes after the Montreal Canadiens updated us on Carey Price‘s injury, news broke. Not big news, but interesting news to say the least. Sportsnet‘s Elliotte Friedman tweeted out that Antii Niemi was claimed off waivers Tuesday morning.
The same Niemi who was part of the worst goaltending tandem in recent memory back with the Dallas Stars? The Niemi who is now on his third team in five weeks, yes that Niemi.
There’s nothing really to smile about based on his numbers. Niemi played in three games for the Pittsburgh Penguins with a .797 save percentage, and two with the Florida Panthers with a .872 save percentage for a combined .822.
Obviously, the Montreal Canadiens didn’t claim Niemi to be the new starter while Price continues to recover. He’s going to be the backup for the foreseeable future, which means Zachary Fucale is most likely on his way back to the Laval Rocket. The 22-year-old has yet to play an NHL game and has most of his experience in the ECHL with the Brampton Beast. With Lindgren being the team’s starter, Fucale may have gotten his first NHL start in the second half of a back-to-back which is difficult at times for any goaltender.
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The Niemi claim may also hint to how long Al Montoya will be away from the team. The usual Habs backup will be missing time with a concussion that we think may have been sustained during the Winnipeg Jets game. However, that won’t be a problem is Montreal doesn’t plan on sending Lindgren back down after Price returns.
For now, Lindgren and Niemi will be our tandem. Whether Niemi will be a decent backup will be a mystery until he gets his first start which may be coming soon. Lindgren is about to have his fifth start in a row Tuesday night, and the Habs have a back-to-back situation next week against Dallas and Nashville.
It’s hard to be confident in the veteran netminder, but hopefully, he can at the very least give the Habs a chance to win while he’s playing.
Next: Carey Price Addresses the Media on His Injury
What do you make of the claim? Can Niemi be a serviceable backup for the Habs? Let us know your thoughts down below.