The door closes on Charlie Lindgren.
This post will be updated with the contract terms when the deal becomes official and I can get to a laptop. – Hildy
The Blues are expected to sign backup goaltender Thomas Greiss, essentially swapping him for Ville Husso. Husso will be a starter in Detroit next season while Greiss will be taking over the backup reins from Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren will be testing the open market.
Hearing it’s a one-year deal between the Blues and Greiss. #stlblues https://t.co/AvllLVof3f
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 13, 2022
Greiss is 36 years old, so the deal will be a brief one while Joel Hofer gets a bit more experience with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL. Greiss’ experience as a NHL goaltender (374 GP, 2.72 GAA, .912 SV%) is beneficial when you view this situation as Doug Armstrong not wanting to put an inexperienced goalie in a situation that has been, over the last few seasons, unpredictable at best.
Greiss will be expected to support Jordan Binnington, however that will look. Last season, Greiss’ 10-15-1 record, 3.66 GAA, and .891 SV% was mostly a product of playing behind a porous Detroit defense. Don’t expect Greiss to be able to step in and completely backstop the Blues should Jordan Binnington have injuries or other issues. He hasn’t carried a starter’s load since 2016-2017 with the New York Islanders.