Montreal Canadiens: Antti Niemi is making fans believers

Save for the hiccup against the Vegas Golden Knights, Antti Niemi has been rock solid for the Montreal Canadiens, and it looks more than a hot stretch.

At the end of last season, the Dallas Stars realized that they couldn’t run with both Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen after trading for Ben Bishop. The 34-year-old was bought out by the team and after a series of waiver claims ended up with the Montreal Canadiens. Call it irony or poetic justice, but the fact that Niemi stepped up and had another good game for the Habs to beat the Stars is funny when you consider they’re still paying him $1.5 million.

However, that’s beside the point. The point is that Niemi has been incredible when there was originally worry and doubt about whether he had what it takes to be an NHL goaltender. His stats with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers speak for itself which made it hard to have any sense of optimism of how he would play with the Montreal Canadiens. Sometimes, a player needs the right fit, and it looks like Niemi has found it with the Habs.

Discounting the three goals on six shots start against the Vegas Golden Knights and one goal on four shots against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Niemi has a stopped of 386 of 410 shots faced in a Montreal uniform. Additionally, the veteran goaltender has had a save percentage under .920 three times. Niemi has been rock solid, and he’s giving his teammates something to play for.

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It’ll be interesting to see where Niemi’s future stands and whether it’s with the Montreal Canadiens or not. There’s no question that management would extend a contract extension to him, but perhaps Charlie Lindgren changes things and makes him a bit expendable.

On the other hand, the Habs could choose to bring Niemi back and give Lindgren more time to grow in the AHL. That would push Michael McNiven and Zachary Fucale down, assuming he’s resigned, but it may be the better option.

Those are questions to be answered over the offseason, but for now, Niemi has proved that he still has what it takes to be a game-in-game-out goaltender.

Next: The Bigger Picture

Should the Montreal Canadiens bring Niemi back? If so, should Fucale still be someone the team resigns? Let us know what you think in the comments.