Montreal Canadiens: Antti Niemi likely the only UFA to get an extension
By Omar L
Antti Niemi seemed to be the only UFA the Montreal Canadiens would consider bringing back, leaving Chris Terry and Adam Cracknell to test free agency.
The Montreal Canadiens didn’t take too many by surprising in re-signing Antti Niemi. His work this season was undeniable, and he worked hard to raise his stock in the eyes of many around the league.
If you were surprised, then it may have been because you were convinced that Charlie Lindgren would be the backup next season. That’s still a possibility. September’s training camp is going to feature a battle between goaltenders for a single spot. At the moment, Niemi has the edge over Lindgren despite being younger.
The Habs can flirt with the idea of keeping him with the Laval Rocket for another year having the 2019-20 season as his time to shine. However, Lindgren could outplay the veteran at camp and take the backup job. Niemi’s $950,000 cap hit isn’t much in the grand scheme of things, and the Habs would have no problem burying it.
That’s a conversation for the end of summer. With Niemi locked in, the Montreal Canadiens have two more unrestricted free agents in Chris Terry and Adam Cracknell. Both players spend the entire season in the AHL and were the team’s top players.
Terry led the league in points with 32 goals and 39 assists. Cracknell was the next highest-scoring forward with 51 points in 69 games after being acquired from the Hartford Wolf Pack in exchange for Peter Holland. Despite all that, it’s more likely that both test free agency and sign with another team.
The odds of that happening are more with Terry than Cracknell. The former has been part of the Habs organization for the last two seasons with only 14 games to show for it. He may push to get a shot with an NHL club somewhere out there or at least try to fight for a spot at training camp.
If the Montreal Canadiens are in need of a call-up next season and both Terry and Cracknell return, they’ll be far from the first on the totem pole. On the other hand, I could understand having both back. Laval can’t only be made up of 20-24 year-olds. Veteran presence goes a long way
Niemi was a priority given what he accomplished the season. Next for the Montreal Canadiens will be the RFAs. As for Terry and Cracknell, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them move on in the summer.
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