Anders Lindback Will Ruin The Arizona Coyotes' Season

Anders Lindback is a below-average backup NHL goalie. He was once a very promising prospect, but he proved while with the Tampa Bay Lightning that he couldn’t cut it as a starter. Now, he is back in that position after Mike Smith was pronounced out for the next 8-10 weeks with a core muscle injury. Lindback is going to have to play really well to keep one of the biggest surprises in the league in the playoff hunt.

Unfortunately, Lindback will not be doing that. He is a terrible option in net. He is letting in 10 percent of all shots. The Arizona Coyotes already rank 29th in the league in goals against, and putting Lindback in net full time will only drop them another spot.

Smith was not having a great season himself with a .901 save percentage. The smoke and mirrors the Coyotes have been winning with will not last. Four teams are tied with 30 points and the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division. With Smith out for the next 2.5 months, there is no way the Coyotes can hold off the rest of the Division.

There is a good chance that when Smith comes back in February, the Coyotes will be where everyone expected them to be. They will be near the cellar of the Western Conference.

This will likely prove as Lindback’s last chance. He’s been on five teams in his six-year NHL career. The journeyman goalie could pull a Devan Dubnyk with the Coyotes, but it seems like he was always missing the talent. He is a big body that had everyone falling in love with his size. He hasn’t proved to have much else.

The Swedish goalie has one last shot. He has only proved to be worth a backup spot. If he tanks the Coyotes’ season, this will probably be his last spot.