Lindgren takes unconventional path back to NHL

Charlie Lindgren's path back to the NHL has been a very unconventional one.
Last week, the 27-year-old goaltender was playing for the American Hockey League's Springfield Thunderbirds and was arguably fourth on the St. Louis Blues' goaltending depth chart.

And then this wild series of events played out:
If you want to know the type of teammate Lindgren is, check out this comment he made during an interview with members of the media on Wednesday after the team's practice at Centene Community Ice Center:
"When I saw 'Huss' get hurt there, it wasn't a good feeling," Lindgren said. "Honestly I just went in the game to try to compete and play hard for him. Seeing him work his tail off and make a bunch of big saves for the team, I wanted to make sure he got some justice in that game."
Justice achieved.
"Charlie is a high-character person, so that comment about trying to play well for Ville doesn't surprise me a bit," Blues Goaltending Coach David Alexander told
stlouisblues.com
. "That's the kind of guy he is. He's selfless, and we've seen that with him from the first day of training camp."
In fact, it was Alexander and Thunderbirds General Manager Kevin McDonald who suggested the Blues sign Lindgren in the offseason. The team had Binnington and Husso solidified as its No. 1 and No. 2 but still needed an experienced goaltender to play in Springfield that could push Hofer forward in his development.

Lindgren played three seasons of college hockey for St. Cloud State before forgoing his senior year by signing an entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Over the next five seasons with Montreal, Lindgren would play 24 games, posting a 10-12-2 record with a 3.00 goals-against average and a .907 save-percentage.
Lindgren also has 147 games of AHL experience and hasn't played in an NHL game since March 7, 2020. In need of a change of scenery, he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Blues in the offseason.
With his call up to St. Louis, Lindgren is one of 12 active undrafted goaltenders in the NHL. His younger brother, Ryan, is a defensemen with the New York Rangers.
This season, Lindgren is 8-1-1 with the Thunderbirds. At the time of his call-up, he was fifth in the AHL in goals-against average (2.16) and save-percentage (.912) and was on a five-game winning streak.
"I don't have a ton of games under my belt, but I definitely have more than a few," Lindgren said. "I know with Montreal, whenever I got the chance to play for the Canadiens and got called up, I usually handled it pretty well and did a pretty good job. I don't feel intimidated or anything by any means (being here). I feel confident and I'm confident in the guys in the room. (I'm) not going to overthink anything, just go out there and be myself and play my game."
With Binnington expected to be out until next week and Husso undergoing an evaluation of a lower-body injury, Lindgren could start between the pipes for the Blues for at least the next few games. St. Louis will meet the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday before hosting the Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks this weekend at Enterprise Center.
"Charlie comes cut from that cloth of work ethic, battle and compete," Alexander said. "Of the guys that were available in the offseason, he was the guy that stood out most in that regard. He's served us well. He's been a big part of the success down in Springfield with Joel Hofer, and I'm sure he's excited to get back in there and play in the NHL.
"It's always fun seeing guys get a chance to play," Alexander added. "Especially guys like Charlie who deserve to get rewarded for all their hard work."