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The Ottawa Senators‘ magical run to the Stanley Cup playoffs ended on Sunday night when they were unable to break the wall that was Carey Price. Despite going down in the series 3-0, the Sens won two straight games, and brought another home game to the Canadian Tire Centre. They did that on the back of goaltender Craig Anderson.
The question for the Senators now is what do they do with their goaltending situation. Andrew Hammond was replaced in Game 3 by the veteran goalie Anderson. He put together one of the best one-series performances in playoff history.
In four games, Anderson never allowed more than one goal in regulation. He went toe-to-toe with the best goalie in the NHL, and he was the better man. His .976 save percentage is 30 points higher than any other goalie with more than 10 shots against. His 0.94 goals against average is more than half a goal better than anyone else in the playoffs.
Unfortunately for Anderson and the Senators, their offense could not break the Canadiens and Price. Now, the Sens have to look at their roster and decide whether they want to move forward with Hammond, who had one of the best regular season runs by a goalie, or Anderson, who had one of the best postseason performances.
They need to make a decision soon thanks to Hammond’s contract situation, as he is about to become a restricted free agent. That likely means that he is going to stay with the Senators unless they trade him. They should at least see what the market looks like for Hammond.
While the regular season was a spectacle, he is more likely to be a one-hit wonder than Anderson. Coming into this season, he played in one NHL game. If he was as good as he has been this season, he would have made it to the big leagues much faster. He is already 27 years old. To start a career this late is a bad sign.
While Anderson is 33 years old, he has much more experience in his time. Despite being in the league for over a decade, he didn’t get his first shot to start until 2009-10 with the Colorado Avalanche. When he was traded to the Sens the next season, he took a chokehold on the top goalie spot.
The Sens also still have Robin Lehner. While he is coming off a terrible season, he is only 23. He has time to make an adjustment and find the success he had two years ago. He can find himself a nice role as backup while he works on his issues.
Hammond is as valuable as he ever will be. He should get a shot to start with another team. The Sens should look to cash in on his success. They have their starter in Anderson.
Nick Villano is the New Jersey Devils writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.
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