The Florida Panthers loaned rookie forward Henrik Haapala to the Springfield Thunderbirds yesterday, opening up a roster spot for someone to serve as James Reimer’s backup.
It looks like the Panthers will stay within the organization (hopefully, this is a sign that Roberto Luongo won’t be out for that long) and call up either Harri Sateri or Samuel Montembeault, as fifth man on the depth chart, Evan Cowley has already been summoned to Springfield from ECHL Manchester to fill in the potential vacancy on the AHL squad.
Look for the older, more experienced Sateri to get the nod. Sateri has appeared in 12 games for the Thunderbirds and has posted a 5-6 record, a .906 save percentage, and 2.76 GAA. Those are pretty respectable numbers on a last-place team.