With the strong play of Darcy Kuemper and the Wild being emotionally attached to an aging Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding has found himself on waivers.
He's dealt with some health issues in the past, but he's healthy now and I couldn't help but think he'd be an excellent addition for the price of nothing to the Blue Jackets.
If they want to crawl out of this early season hole they're going to need good goaltending all year and, though Sergei Bobrovsky can certainly carry the load, I'm sure the team would rest easy knowing if he was injured again or needed a night off they could count on a quality start.
Curtis McElhinney did an OK job last year, but Josh Harding was one of the best goaltenders in all of hockey - he went 18-7-3 with a .933SV% - and would certainly be an upgrade in goal.
McElhinney has a .887SV% in eight games this season and, though the Jackets like him, it's hard to argue keeping him as backup when a much better option is available.
One thing the Jackets have going for them if they want Harding is that they are very low in the standings despite consecutive wins. Only Carolina and Buffalo, both of whom seem happy/set with Cam Ward/Anton Khudobin and Michal Neuvirth/Jhonas Enroth, have a higher waiver priority claim than Columbus, so if they want Harding he's likely theirs.
It's not a given the Jackets are interested, but given Harding's play last season coupled with McElhinney's struggles this year and it would make sense to at least consider the option.
Recent posts