It’s a while since the Montreal Canadiens had a proper backup for Carey Price. The last was technically Antti Niemi as his first season with the Habs was a steady one as he put up a .929 save percentage. The record wasn’t the best going 7-5-4 in 17 starts, but the team wasn’t playing its best hockey at the time. Either way, Niemi gave the Habs the best opportunity to win that season, and he had some help in Charlie Lindgren as well.
The next season wasn’t nearly as good for Niemi, which saw Claude Julien run Price into the ground to try to get the Montreal Canadiens into the playoffs.