The Montreal Canadiens made an unexpected trade prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. They acquired two picks, Joel Armia, and Steve Mason for Simon Bourque, who would leave the professional ranks for U Sports before the year even started. While Armia went on to be a valuable fixture in the Canadiens’ forward group, Mason was immediately bought out, and currently is contemplating retirement after a 10-year career.
But was buying him out the right move ahead of this season?
After a resurgent year in 2017-18, Antti Niemi regressed heavily to his previous form this past year, posting a sub-.