Is this the end of the line for Eddie Lack in the NHL?

It’s a reasonable question to ask after the goaltender was waived by the Calgary Flames (becoming the second former Canuck the Flames have sent to waivers this year).

If no one picks up Lack (not an absolute certainty because if the awful Antti Niemi can get plucked off waivers then who knows?), the goaltender will likely report to the Calgary Flames American Hockey League affiliate, the Stockton Heat, where he will play out the last year of his contract. It will pay him $2.75 million.

Lack last played for the Canucks in the 2014-15 season, when he posted a quite sparkling .921 save percentage and won more games than he lost. He was traded in the 2015 offseason to Carolina for third and seventh round picks and, well, he hasn’t been very good since.

Never able to find his rythym in Raleigh, Lack wasn’t able to steal the number one goaltending job from Cam Ward, which is more an indication of how terrible the Swede was than anything else. In 53 games in Carolina, Lack posted a .901 save percentage.

You can always tell how much a player is valued by how much he pulls from another team in a trade. It was clear how much worth Lack had lost when the Flames acquired him from the Hurricanes along with Ryan Murphy (a former highly touted prospect) for Keegan Kanzig, who is currently playing in the East Coast Hockey League.

Lack was slated to backup Mike Smith, but couldn’t hold the fort. This screenshot tells the story effectively enough.

Lack posted an .813 save percentage in four games with Calgary. Yikes.

Canucks fans will always have memories of Lack as a good guy trying to make the best of what was an awkward situation with Roberto Luongo and John Tortorella. At least there was no love lost with Luongo.

https://twitter.com/eddielack/status/618884499603103744

What was your favourite Eddie Lack moment?