Oct. 10: The Habs announced that Lindström has cleared waivers and has been assigned to Laval.
Oct. 9: The Canadiens have signed depth defenseman Gustav Lindström to a two-way contract, per a team release. The Swede spent training camp on a PTO with the Ducks but didn’t make the roster and was released last week. He’s subsequently been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Laval, the team said.
Lindström, 26 later this month, has played in parts of five NHL seasons. The 2017 second-round pick of the Red Wings established himself as a bottom-pairing/press box option there, posting 25 points (2 G, 23 A) and a -33 rating in 128 appearances. The nephew of former Shark Marcus Ragnarsson has minimal offensive upside and mostly relies on his footspeed to put himself in position to break up plays, leading to some unimpressive but not catastrophic possession metrics (44.6 career CF%, but playing on rebuilding clubs).
The Red Wings parted ways with Lindström last year, trading him to the Canadiens in a late-summer swap for Jeff Petry. He’s now back for his second stint in Montreal. He posted four points in 14 games, averaging 15:17 per night, but couldn’t avoid the waiver wire and was claimed by the Ducks in January. He finished out the year with a strong run of play in Anaheim, logging six assists with an impressive +12 rating in 32 games on one of the league’s worst defensive teams. He did so in heavy defensive usage, too, with a 60.2 dZS%. His 44.6 CF% still managed to check in 0.1% better than the Ducks’ shot attempt share without Lindström on the ice.
There’s a bit of defensive upside there, one that may convince a team to claim him off waivers. But since he had to wait until Day 2 of the regular season to earn even just a two-way deal, it seems interest in his services is low. The Canadiens don’t have a huge need for depth help at the NHL level, with youngsters like Lane Hutson and Jayden Struble set to lock down full-time roles, but they only have three healthy non-roster defenders under contract, and Laval is seriously understaffed. That’s where they’ll hope to fit him in for now. Lindström has made 62 AHL appearances in parts of three years, posting eight assists and a -18 rating.
Lindström won’t count against the 23-man roster limit while on waivers since he was signed and waived on the same day.