Person of Interest: Charlie Lindgren

Just who is Charlie Lindgren?

On March 30th, the Montreal Canadiens announced the signing of NCAA goaltender Charlie Lindgren, following the Ben Scrivens waiver placement. Lindgren and the Canadiens agreed to a two-year, two-way contract worth of  $1.850M.

The 22-year old, Lakeville, Minnesota native, Charlie Lindgren was passed over in three consecutive drafts from 2011-2014. After finishing his season in the NCAA with the St. Cloud State Huskies, Lindgren told the media he was ready to sign with an NHL franchise. He mentioned that there was "10 to 15 teams" interested in him but that it "quickly got whittled down to three of them", evidently, one of them being the Montreal Canadiens.

Lindgren put of astonishing numbers this season, setting a school record of 30 wins along with a 2.13 GAA and .925% in 40 games for St. Cloud State. The 6'2, 190 pound Lindgren was the Huskies number one goaltender for the past two seasons and was on the roster for three NCAA Frozen Four tournaments. Lindgren and the Huskies were eliminated in the regional semifinals of this year's tournament falling 5-4 in overtime barn burner to the Ferris State Bulldogs. on March 26th.

In 88 career college games played for St. Cloud State, Charlie went 51-29-3 with a 2.21 GAA and a .921 SV%.  He was also recently named NCHC goaltender of the year and was named to the NHCH All-rookie team.

After hearing the news on Lindgren's new contract agreement, Bob Motzko, his coach  for the past three years at St. Cloud State was heartbroken that he couldn't coach him for a fourth time. Motzko met with Sean Campbell and Chris Nilan on TSN 690 and only had great things to say about Lindgren, following the Habs latest signing. He mentioned that "[Lindgren] has been an outstanding players for us and backbone of our team". Motzko also added that "he thinks the kid has a great shot one day to do something special". As much as the Huskies are heartbroken to see him leave they are extremely happy for him and his future in the NHL.

Lindgren got his dream realized when he earned his first start between the pipes in the NHL against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 7th. Although he let the puck by him on the first shot, Lindgren redeemed himself by stopping  the following 25 of 26 shots, earning him and the Canadiens a 4-2 victory.

#35 Charlie Lindgren playing for the St. Cloud State Huskies. (http://www.scsuhuskies.com/)

Canadiens send Weise, Fleischmann to Hawks

Days before the NHL trade deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks have made another trade, preparing themselves for yet another long playoff run. The Montreal Canadiens have dealt veteran fowards Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann to the Blackhawks in return for former first round pick Phillip Danault and a 2018 second round pick.

Reigning from Victoriaville, Quebec, Phillip Danault was selected 26th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2011 draft. The 6 foot, 200 pound centerman played his first three pro season with the Blackhawks affiliate team, the Rockford Icehogs of the AHL. In early November, Danault was recalled by the Blackhawks where he got to play alongside Marian Hossa and captain Jonathan Toews on the 1st line. In 30 games this season, the 23 year-old amassed 1 goal and 4 assists.

Marc Bergevin following the deal: "Phillip Danault is a young and gifted player who will be part of our core group of young forwards for many years to come. I am very pleased to have him join our organization. As a member of the Blackhawks management group, I was instrumental in the selection of Phillip in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft. Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann have both been good contributors to our team and I would like to wish them the best of luck with the Blackhawks' organization."



#15 Tomas Fleischmann and #22 Dale Weise now members of the Chicago Blackhawks - (Jean Yves Ahern/USA TODAY Sports)

Canadiens ink Paul Byron to 3-year extension

General manager Marc Bergevin has closed in on a deal with pending UFA forward Paul Byron for the next three seasons, on Tuesday evening. The deal is reported to be at $3.5M, carrying an annual cap hit of $1.6M, per Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.

Marc Bergevin on the extension of Paul Byron:  "We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Paul Byron. "A fast-skating and versatile forward Paul has been an important addition to our team. He can contribute on the offensive side while being responsible defensively. Furthermore, he demonstrates an exemplary attitude and the qualities of a true professional. We’re proud to have him among our group of forwards for the next three seasons."

In 40 games this season, the Ottawa native has recorded 8 goals (3 of whom have been short-handed) and 3 assists for a total of 11 points. The Montreal Canadiens claimed Byron off waivers from the Calgary Flames on October 6th, 2015.

#41 Paul Byron - (Photograph by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Why it wouldn't make sense for Montreal to make the playoffs

The same team that went 9-0-0 to start the season now faces desperation for a playoff spot in the standings. The Montreal Canadiens were 20-4-3 in their first 27 games of the season, leading the Atlantic division by 9 points. Fast forward 27 more games and the Canadiens currently sit in 5th place in the Atlantic division, 12th in the Eastern Conference and 22nd in the league. Since December 3rd, Montreal has gone 6-20-1, giving them the worst record in the league. A lot of the blame has been on Michel Therrien and the coaching staff, as well as the general manager Marc Bergevin. How can you not blame Therrien for this mess? For the past 3 years he has been incapable of setting consistent line-ups and has developed the younger players poorly. Not to mention this disastrous stretch goes to show you how great Carey Price is when he is healthy.

Another factor that plays a role in this equation is the lack of leadership and heart coming from the players. Captain Max Pacioretty hasn't showed up when his team needed him the most. He hasn't picked up the load nor taken his game to the next level in order to lead by example. Losing Price to injury for the most part of the season has hurt them as his leadership and skill is missing in the locker room and on the ice. The Canadiens have become a fragile hockey team and have lost their confidence and swagger. Crushing the Edmonton Oilers 5 to 1 Saturday afternoon may have brought the players spirits back, but a playoff birth is useless at this point in time.

Price to miss another 3-4 weeks; coaching staff will remain

This afternoon, general manager Marc Bergevin spoke to the media about the state of the team following a practice in Brossard. Marc stated that the Michel Therrien an his coaching staff will remain until the end of the season, regardless of what happens. The Canadiens have gone (4-15-1) since December 2nd, picking up a total of 9 points in a possible 44, ranking them in last among all 30 NHL teams. Montreal is currently on a 5 game losing streak and will face the Maple Leafs in Toronto next on Saturday, January 23rd.

Bergevin also mentioned that he does not have an exact time frame for goaltender Carey Price's return. He did say that he will be missing action for at least 3-4 weeks, maybe longer. Carey price hasn't seen action since November 25th, 2015, where he left midway through the game versus the Rangers due to a knee injury.

In other news, former Montreal Canadien and personal favourite, Jiri Sekac, has been traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for grinder Ryan Garbutt.

To watch parts 2 and 3 of Marc Bergevin's press conference: Press Conference part II & III 

Canadiens acquire All-Star in blockbuster

The wait is finally over Habs fans. The all-star they have been waiting so very long for has finally made his way to Montreal. 2016 all-star captain John Scott is now a member of your Montreal Canadiens, courtesy of Marc Bergevin.

In a bizarre turn of events this afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens were involved in a 3 team deal between the Arizona Coyotes and the Nashville Predators. The Arizona Coyotes announced this afternoon that they had traded Stefan Elliott to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenceman Victor Bartley. Bartley was then flipped to the Canadiens along with John Scott for defensive prospect Jarred Tinordi and right winger Stefan Fournier.

27 year old defenceman Victor Bartely has 112 games under his belt, all with the Predators. With a deep defensive core, Bartley has only played a single game with Nashville this season, playing most of the season with Milwaukee of the AHL. Following the trade, Bartley has been assigned to St. Johns of the AHL.

The 6 foot 8, 260 pound sniper, John Scott has played for Minnesota, Chicago, New York, Buffalo, San Jose, Arizona and now Montreal. In his 285 game career, he has amassed a stunning total of 5 goals and 11 points along with 542 penalty minutes. Scott's best season came in the 2014-15 season with the Sharks where he tallied 3 goals and 1 assist in 38 games.

Fortunately, the Montreal Canadiens have no intentions of recalling Scott and will play the rest of the season with the St. Johns Ice Caps of the AHL. Due to this trade, Scott will no longer be eligible for the 2016 All-Star game in Nashville.

In all seriousness, this trade does create cap space and flexibility for Bergevin to work with, so expect another trade soon from the Canadiens. Scott was only part of the deal because the Arizona Coyotes and the NHL asked John to bow out of the All-Star game which he refused to do. Sending him to another team was the only way to make him ineligible for the All-Star game.

Here is John Scott's top 5 highlight reel goals:

Eric Staal to Montreal?

With just under 5 weeks until the NHL trade deadline, there has been much talk concerning Carolina Hurricanes center man and captain  Eric Staal 's future with the only franchise he has ever played for. At 31 years old, the eldest of four Staal brothers, Eric is in his final year of his 7 year / $57,750,000 contract. Currently midway through his 12th year with the Hurricanes, Staal has recorded total of 28 points in 44 games on a bottom division team. The 6 foot, 205 pound centerman won a Stanley Cup with Carolina back in 2006, where he recorded a career high 100 point season.

According to The Fourth Period, Eric Staal is unlikely to re-sign with the Hurricanes and is likely to be dealt before the deadline on February 29th at 3p.m ET. Staal did mention that there is a lot more than just the hockey to think about when asked about a potential trade, stating: "I have a family. There's things you think about. My brother's [Jordan] playing here. There are a lot of different things you think about. You try not to worry about it too much, and play, and hopefully we can get on a little bit of a run here and go from there and let it sort itself out. We'll see what happens."

Staal said in November he would like to re-sign with Carolina.

If Carolina is looking to move their captain, expect his brother Jordan to be on the move as well. Although, both players have a full no-trade clause and a high cap hit, which could make it difficult to deal them.  The Montreal Candiens are among a couple other teams that have expressed their interests regarding the center man.

Eric Staal could be the big, powerful centerman the Canadiens have been looking for to solidify them down the middle. GM Marc Bergevin and management must take Carey Price's injury status into consideration if they decide to pursue Staal, as he will likely be a rental player. It would take at least defensive prospect Jarred Tinordi or offensive prospect Michael McCarron and high draft pick to acquire the Hurricanes captain.

Would you be willing to pull the trigger on a deal for Eric Staal, knowing that Price could return prior to the playoffs?

#11 Jordan Staal (left) and brother #12 Eric Staal (right) - (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)