Lindback acquired to be Lightning's No. 1 goalie
The Lightning found their man. At least that's the plan.
After Tampa Bay ended last season with the worst goaltending in the league (3.39 goals per game), Steve Yzerman set out to land a top goaltender. And his preference was to find a goaltender young enough to grow into the role of a top goaltender.
Enter Anders Lindback.
Instead of using free agency, Tampa Bay went the trade route and acquired the 6-foot-6 Swedish netminder from Nashville along with forward Kyle Wilson and a seventh-round pick in exchange for a pair of second-round picks in 2012 and a third-round pick in 2013. The 24-year-old Lindback has spent the last two years as the backup for Pekka Rinne.
Once Rinne signed a seven-year extension, Lindback became a trade target. And Yzerman believe Lindback is ready to be that goaltender he's been seeking since taking control of the Lightning.
"He'll get an opportunity to play for us, and we think he's got the ability to develop into a No. 1 goaltender," Yzerman said. "We've watched a lot of his games. He doesn't have a lot of experience, but we like his size, we like his athletic ability and we like his technique."
