When you look at Carl Lindbom's stats from his first Vegas Golden Knights stint, nothing actually stands out. You see a Stockholm native with a GAA of 3.14 and a save percentage of .870. Mind you, those were achieved in seven games this season.
For some, it might be no surprise that the Golden Knights sent Lindbom down to the Henderson Silver Knights, bringing up Carter Hart in the process. Well, our favorite little prospect, it was nice knowing ye...
Carl Lindbom has been sent down to the AHL.
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) December 1, 2025
Carter Hart and Akira Schmid are the two goalies on the ice today for Vegas.
Give your stick taps to a fallen warrior, peeps. Okay, he's still alive.
Obviously, this won't last for too long. Lindbom is a hotshot prospect who didn't have any prior NHL experience. There were times where his team also let him down, whether it was defensive zone turnovers or not getting any goals from the attack. Plus, facing off against premier teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Florida Panthers is never easy. Whatever the case, the 22-year-old has been a victim of circumstances.
Still, that doesn't completely absolve him from not making certain saves. There were times when he overcommitted on certain plays, leaving himself exposed in certain parts of the net. When you do that against superstars like Nikita Kucherov, you're bound to get burned.
But don't expect the prospect to leave anytime soon. In fact, this is a good start for the Silver Knights prospect to build off his NHL tenure.
Don't expect Carl Lindbom to go anywhere once he returns for his next Golden Knights stint
Let's be fair here. Most NHL rookies aren't going to be blazing like Snoop Dogg right out of the gate. They will stick with whatever habits they've had to try and get by. It doesn't matter if these are good or bad. Old habits die hard, as they say.
That's the case for Lindbom, who took aggressive cuts and angles to deter incoming attacks. Often, that didn't work and left him exposed to oncoming goals. Luckily, he's a rookie who can learn from his mistakes and adjust later.
Plus, plenty of goals weren't his fault. How many times have the Golden Knights been burned by a bad penalty late in a game? How often have you seen a defenseman like Noah Hanifin turn the puck over in his own zone? Those were common mistakes that compromised Lindbom while he was in net.
Lindbom can't be the only Golden Knights player doing the heavy lifting
That's where an entire team effort is needed. Bruce Cassidy's defensive structure is built entirely around taking away juicy looks and deterring oncoming attackers from the middle of the ice. When Lindbom was in net, those looks were left open and put him in a rough spot, similar to the turnovers.
It isn't just a defensive effort, though. At times, the Golden Knights haven't done anything offensively. Take his first career start against the Lightning as an example. If Vegas gets one more goal, Lindbom has his first career win much sooner than last Saturday.
For the Stockholm native, all he has to do is fix some things in his game. He's shown that he can adjust his game when needed, bettering himself in the process. You can bank on the young netminder to stick around for good next time if he does this.