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Lindback has spent most of his NHL career as a backup, playing a combined 130 games over six seasons with the Predators, Lightning, Stars, Sabres and Coyotes. Now 30 years old, the Finn did not see any time in the NHL last season, although the Preds did recall him in April to practice with the team and give Pekka Rinne a breather just prior to the playoffs. Instead, he spent most of last season in the AHL on a one-year contract, starting 56 games for the Milwaukee Admirals and finishing with a 31-20-2 record. With no NHL deal in the cards, Lindback has returned to Europe for the upcoming season.
Lindback’s looked very good in the AHL but the same cannot be said for his time spent in the NHL. The lanky Swede has played on four teams over the past three seasons since moving on from Nashville, and in each of those instances he’s failed to secure a No. 1 job. He posted a .894 save percentage and 3.11 goals-against average in 19 games with the Coyotes, which is not good enough to even warrant backup status. Even if he manages to latch on with another club, it's hard to envision a situation where Lindback would be anything more than a depth goalie.
Lindback started last season as the backup to Kari Lehtonen in Dallas, where he posted career-worst numbers (3.71 GAA and .875 save percentage) before being traded to Buffalo in February. He fared better with the Sabres, but appeared in just 26 games between his two teams, winning only six games. Signed to a one-year deal by the Coyotes during the offseason, Lindback will now be the primary backup to Mike Smith, who has started 62 games each of the last two years. With that in mind, Lindback doesn't figure to see much more action than he did in 2014-15.
Things were briefly looking up for Lindback, the often derided former backup in Tampa, when Dallas tendered him a contract. But shortly after acquiring Lindback, the Stars went and grabbed Jussi Rynnas from Europe, and signed him to a one-way deal. What’s up with that? Either Rynnas or Lindback will be on the move early in the season, either through trade or through waivers down to the AHL. Rynnas looks to have the inside track for the No. 2 gig -- after all, he's the one with the two-year contract. But anything can happen there. Still, drafting Lindback is a risky move with next to no upside.
Opportunity knocked last season for the 6-6 Lindback, but a high-ankle sprain kept the door pretty much closed for him (10-10-0-1, 2.90, .902). And then it all but slammed shut with the trade arrival of Ben Bishop from Ottawa. The two men play a similar style and are almost the same size, and both will compete for the starter's gig in camp. We think the Bolts end up with a straight platoon between the pipes this season and that undermines both players' fantasy upsides ... at least for now. Monitor his progress this season, but don't over invest.
Lindback is big (6-6) and talented, but inexperienced -- he has played just 38 games over the last two seasons. At 24, he'll grow with the youngsters on this squad, but remember -- goalies rarely peak until their late 20s and early 30s. He's a whole lot better than either of last year's duo of Dwayne Roloson and Mathieu Garon, but we wouldn't build our fantasy squad around him. At least not yet. Thirty wins will make him a great second goalie on your single-year squad.
Lindback performed exceptionally well for the Preds last season, especially early in the year when starter Pekka Rinne was on the shelf with a knee injury. Although Lindback finished the season with excellent numbers (11-5-2, 2.60 GAA, .915 SV%), don't expect him to see much more than 10-15 starts this season playing behind Rinne, who has proved himself to be one of the best netminders in the NHL.
Lindback spent last season with Timra of the Swedish Elite League. He managed to put up some impressive numbers, ranking fifth in the league in save percentage (.913), sixth in goals-against average (2.46) and fourth in shutouts (four). He also captured a bronze medal with Sweden in the 2010 World Championships. The Predators expect Lind back to attend training camp in September, but it's likely he will need to spend some time at the AHL level before making the jump to the NHL.
