After Dan Ellis was waived Sunday by the Panthers, Montoya appears to have claimed the No. 2 goalie job behind Roberto Luongo, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

After Dan Ellis was waived Sunday by the Panthers, Montoya appears to have claimed the No. 2 goalie job behind Roberto Luongo, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

Analysis:

Montoya had the inside edge for the gig by virtue of his contract being larger than Ellis', but his play in the preseason justified his emergence as the victor in the job battle. The 29-year-old proved highly capable as a backup for the Jets last season, posting a 13-8-3 record, 2.30 GAA and .920 save percentage. However, Luongo is a far better talent in goal than Montoya's chief competition in Winnipeg (Ondrej Pavelec), so the backup might actually notice a decrease in usage in his first season in South Florida.