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Evaluating The In-House Solutions To The Montreal Canadiens’ Backup Goalie Problem

By Teddy Elliot

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 06: Goaltender Charlie Lindgren #39 of the Montreal Canadiens stretches out to protect the net against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on April 6, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 06: Goaltender Charlie Lindgren #39 of the Montreal Canadiens stretches out to protect the net against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on April 6, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 07: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 07: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Vasili Demchenko

Career Stats (Russia): 212 GP – 81 W – 86 L – 25 OTL – 2.37 GAA – .925 SV% – 14 SO 

The 26-year-old KHL veteran signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens on April 21, 2020. As with many KHL players, there are a lot of questions marks surrounding Demchenko.

In his first full KHL season in 2015-2016 with Traktor Chelyabinsk, Demchenko posted a 16-20-10 record in 48 games along with a 2.32 GAA and a .922 save percentage. In his five-year stint with the team, Traktor made the KHL playoffs three times.

One stat that stands out for Demchenko is a glittering career .925 save percentage. Keep in mind that Demchenko achieved this playing backup minutes for the most part.

While he’s never played more than 48 games in a season, his experience and goaltending pedigree makes him an intriguing option to backup Price next season.

One thing is for sure: whether Demchenko can deliver or not, his signing sends a clear message to the organization’s goalies that they’ll need to step up their game if they want a chance at that coveted backup spot.

Final word:

Looking at these three options, there’s no obvious in-house solution to the Canadiens’ backup goalie problem. It’ll take a huge training camp from one of them to be considered for a spot, and even then, nothing is guaranteed.

dark. Next. Reasons for Optimism are Abundant for the Habs

Perhaps the Habs would be better suited to finding a reliable, NHL-caliber backup goalie on the free-agent market.

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