Rumor: Habs on the verge of adding another goaltender.

Habs close to signing another goalie.

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HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Rumor: Habs on the verge of adding another goaltender.
Alex Edelman/Zuma

The Montreal Canadiens are reportedly on the verge of bolstering their depth in goal.

According to reports from two different insiders it appears as though the Canadiens and Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin are closing in on a new deal with veteran goaltender Keith Kinkaid. The first report came from Sportsnet's Montreal Canadiens insider Eric Engels who reported that a deal between Kinkaid and the Habs was "likely, if not done." Engels has not disclosed any details regarding the nature of the deal, but given his reputation as a reporter on the Habs there is no question that he is on the money here.

A few minutes after the initial report from Engles, it was reported by TSN insider Bob McKenzie that the two sides are currently working hard to finalize a contract. Additionally McKenzie has provided some additional details regarding the nature of the deal indicating that this will be a one year contract between both parties. 

 

Kinkaid of course is coming off a fairly poor season as a member of the New Jersey Devils, a season in which he was thrust into the starters role for the second straight season due to the collapse of goaltender Cory Schneider. Through 41 games with the Devils last season Kinkaid recorded a 3.36 goals against average and a save percentage of .891 and you do not need me to tell you just how bad those numbers are from an NHL goaltender. That being said Kinkaid has been a career backup and it may simply be that he was overwhelmed by the workload that the Devils thrust upon his shoulders.

I do not believe though that the Canadiens have merely overlooked his terrible performance from last season, but rather it seems far more likely that general manager Marc Bergevin saw an opportunity to add a quality back up to his roster at a very manageable price tag. Kinkaid can still bounce back from his bad year and there is no question that, barring any catastrophic injuries, he will see a greatly diminished workload behind Montreal Canadiens superstar Carey Price. This would seem like a pretty solid fit for both sides in this deal, and it will be interesting to see how much Kinkaid can rehabilitate his image after last season.


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