Back-up goalie Anders Lindback probably isn't a huge fan of Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff at the moment, which may - directly or indirectly, it's always so hard to be sure - have something to do with the fact that Ruff isn't exactly a huge fan of Lindback right now - or at least of his game on the ice.
26-year-old Lindback, who joined the Stars this season after stints with the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning, was signed with the expectation that he would lighten the load of and provide some spot starts for unquestioned Stars starter, Kari Lehtonen.
However, he has so far been unable to provide the quality of play that Ruff was seeking, which may portend a bleak, or at least abbreviated, future in Dallas.
"Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff does not have much confidence in Anders Lindback, who has struggled in every one of his outings this season," writes Eklund of Hockeybuzz.com. "The team is apparently working the phones hard for a 'reliable veteran backup with starter credentials if [Kari] Lehtonen gets hurt or slumps.'"
In five games of action this season, Lindback has given up 20 goals, has a 4.63 goals against average and is sporting a dismal 0.861 save percentage, per Hockeydb.com.
He is winless in each of his starts.
It is not wholly surprising that Ruff is displeased with this quality of play. The major problem in terms of an upgrade is the dearth of goalie talent currently residing in the NHL and the AHL.
There are a handful quality back-up goalies around the league, but few who could become available for a reasonable price and even fewer that teams would actively look to part ways with.
There are veteran free agents, like Tomas Vokoun and Ilya Bryzgalov who, assuming they've stayed in playing shape, could come in right away and contribute. But they won't come cheap and, as their free agent status denotes, they're no longer the players they once were.
Lindback has performed extremely poorly as part of a team that is seemingly doing their best to destroy high pre-season expectations. Ruff cannot stand pat and continue to accept the fact that trotting Lindback out every four or five games to give Lehtonen a breather is going to mean another mark in the 'L' column.
The problem for Ruff, as it always is for every team in every sport, is finding the right balance of cost and expected result.
