Arizona Coyotes Sign Lindback As Backup Goaltender
By Adam Pierce
The Arizona Coyotes sign Anders Lindback to a one year, $875K deal.
The Arizona Coyotes have been making numerous moves so far this off-season. With a successful 2015 NHL Draft, the Coyotes have set their sights on the free agent market.
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Before the free agent frenzy period even began, we saw the Coyotes take action by trading Lauri Korpikoski to the Edmonton Oilers for Boyd Gordon. This trade will certainly not be the last for Arizona as summer continues to roll on.
The Coyotes have a variety of needs to fill before the season begins on October 9th in Los Angeles. Depth defensemen, a second line center, and a backup goaltender happen to be on Don Maloney’s checklist this offseason. Mark Visentin did not receive a qualifying offer this year and with the departure of Devan Dubnyk, the Coyotes need someone to help Mike Smith out in net.
Maloney had a few options to choose from for the backup goaltending position going in to July 1st. Viktor Fasth, Karri Ramo, Peter Budaj, and Thomas Greiss were among the names targeted by the Coyotes organization. Those popular names did not stay on the board for long. Within the hour we saw Greiss go to the Islanders and Ramo sign with Calgary once again. Maloney acted fast and quickly worked out a deal to solidify a new face to grace the crease in Gila River Arena.
Anders Lindback
Apr 11, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Anders Lindback (35) looks to make a glove save during the first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
While Louis Domingue played behind Smith last season, the Coyotes needed someone with a little more experience. Domingue will be able to sharpen his skills a bit more in the AHL before he is ready for a bigger role in Arizona. To fill the void left in that position, the Arizona Coyotes signed 27 year old Anders Lindback.
Lindback has been in and out of the NHL through most of his career as a backup goalie. He has been the number two guy for Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators), Ben Bishop (Tampa Bay Lightning), Kari Lehtonen (Dallas Stars), and Michal Neuvirth (Buffalo Sabres). Anders will have a big role to fill upon arrival in Arizona.
Lindback has had a decent career in the league at the backup position. He currently has 111 games of experience under his belt that will benefit the Coyotes moving forward. Lindback has a career record of 40-51-7 with 5 shutouts. He holds a 2.83 goals against average and a .905 save percentage too.
Many people are skeptical about Anders Lindback due to the fact that Sean Burke is not with the team anymore. His skill as a goalie coach has shaped Ilya Bryzgalov, Mike Smith, and Devan Dubnyk to be the great goaltenders they are today. Only time will tell if he has a breakout year like Dubnyk.
Hopefully we will see some highlight reel saves like this one next season:
Welcome to the desert Anders Lindback.
Next: Arizona Coyotes 2015 Draft Selection Fact Sheet
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