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Anders Lindback's Arrival in Tampa Signals Positive Change |
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Two seasons ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders. Upon landing in Tampa, Roloson made an immediate impact; he finished the season in Tampa with a 2.56 goals-against-average and a 0.912 save-percentage. However, it was in the post-season that Roloson made his biggest impact with the Lightning. As all fans of the Bolts know, he led the team straight to game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals with a 0.924 playoff save-percentage. It’s safe to say that, after that performance, Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman expected more of the same for the 2011-12 campaign. Regrettably, that wasn’t the case.
Last season, Roloson was an unmitigated disaster; look no further than his stat line for evidence of that. Roloson has a 3.66 goals-against-average and a 0.886 save percentage. Safe to say, a goalie with that split isn’t going to help his team win many games. Roloson’s terrible play affected the entire Bolts line-up; the lack of confidence was palpable every time the team took to the ice. With all that in mind, Yzerman knew he had to make a change.
Rumors regarding the Lightning and goaltending started floating around during the holiday season of 2011. Names like Jonathan Bernier, Josh Harding, Anders Lindback, Cory Schneider, Sergei Bobrovsky and Roberto Luongo (among others) all popped up on the Bolts’ radar. In the end, as we all know, Yzerman decided to make a trade with the Nashville Predators to acquire Anders Lindback, a massive Swedish tender.
Lindback, 24, is a most interesting player to follow in the game of hockey. Drafted in the 7th round of the 2008 draft, the lanky Swedish tender has since proven that he was definitely worth selecting. Having spent time backing up Pekka Rinne, one of the truly great goaltenders in the game today, Lindback’s NHL resume isn’t overly thick. He has only played 38 NHL games, which begs the question, what can Lightning fans expect from Lindback? Well, realistically, it’s important that Bolts Nation maintains realistic excitement when dealing with Lindback’s situation. Listening to Steve Yzerman talk, it is abundantly clear that Lightning brass believes they have something special in Lindback. However, it is also clear that they understand that development needs to take place.
Indeed, Lindback has the potential to be an all-star for the Lightning one day; however, it’s important to remember that said day is not tomorrow. Does Lindback make the Lightning a better team right away? Absolutely. In fact, one could go as far to say that Lindback and Garon playing as a tandem gives the Bolts a great shot at making the playoffs this coming season. The reality is, Lindback and Garon form a tandem stronger than that of Garon and Roloson. Add Dustin Tokarski into the fold and all of a sudden the Lightning have options in net whenever the season starts. Nobody is saying that the Lightning are going to get fantastic goaltending, but a reasonable assumption to make is that the Bolts will get goaltending stronger than that provided by one Dwayne Roloson.
The point of all this is to temper expectations. Many out there feel as though Lindback is going to come in and play 70+ games with all-star stats. Realistically, that’s not going to happen (though, I wouldn’t complain if it did). Lindback is going to come in, play 40 games at a decently high level of play and provide the Bolts’ core group with renewed confidence. That alone should be enough to propel the Bolts into the 2012-13 (or 2013-14 if the lockout continues) playoffs.
At the end of the day, by acquiring Lindback, Steve Yzerman has signified that change is on the way in Tampa. This team is getting younger, bigger and stronger on so many levels. Lindback is the kind of goaltender that the Bolts can build around for years to come. He has all the skills necessary to be a true number one tender in this league so, while he won't be an all-star tomorrow, Lindback will provide the Lightning with a new sense of security and confidence in the crease. The winds of change have all but transformed the Lightning from a cellar-dweller to a contender. The arrival of Anders Lindback really does sum up and emphasize that positive change Bolts fans have witnessed over the last few years.
If you have ideas for blog topics during the lockout, leave them on the message boards, send me a PM or contact me on Twitter (@BTB_MikeStuart). As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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