Ottawa Senators Re-Sign Craig Anderson To A 4 Year Extension

Sens Sign Craig Anderson To A 4 Year Extension
(taken from: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2011-03-21-754967237_x.htm)

"Anderson was acquired Feb. 18 in a trade with Colorado. He also has played for Chicago and Florida. With the Senators, he is 6-4-1 with one shutout, a .938 save percentage and 2.11 goals-against average.

Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray said Monday the 29-year-old goalie has brought "stability" to the Senators, and goaltending is crucial "if you're going to rebuild, retool this team."

Anderson would have been eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He will earn $2.75 million next season, $3 million in 2012-13 and $3.5 million in the final two years of the deal, which extends his current contract."

Contract Notes:
- Cap hit will be around $3.18 million

- No NTC or NMC


GM Bryan Murray Explains Reasoning Behind Deal
(taken from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/senators-commit-to-craig-anderson/article1949743/page2/)

“When I made the trade to acquire (Anderson) to start off with, he was a guy that, in real form, we had a chance I felt if we could get him here and talk to him, to sign,” said Murray. “There were other goaltenders, but very few unrestricted this year.

“I've watched him play for a number of years in this league, so I know the real Craig Anderson. I know the guy in Florida, I know the guy in Colorado and I just wanted to see him fit in this room, what he can bring to a younger guy, give us confidence and stability and I believe he's done that,” Murray continued.

“The other thing I tried to find out is when you get to a market like here where we've got some very tough customers to deal with, that he can handle that and that he'd want to be here.”

PATTYB THOUGHTS:
This is an interesting move which can either be a home-run or a disaster. Craig Anderson was an absolute beast for the Avalanche last season but surprisingly this year he was the complete opposite. He was a liability in the net with an awful 3.28 GAA. The Avalanche decided to cut ties with him despite his heroic performance in the 09-10 season and they moved him to the Senators for another underachieving goalie in Brian Elliot. But thus far Craig Anderson has been terrific for the Sens, with a 6-4 record, a 2.11 GAA, and a great .940 Save %. Now there is no denying he has played well since the trade, but in my opinion its still incredibly risky to sign him to a 4 year extension especially considering he has only had 10 games in a Senators uniform to show his worth and personally I don't believe that is a long enough time to evaluate his true value to the franchise. But don't get me wrong, if he is able to return to his former self of last season it will be a huge steal for the Senators but his awful play earlier this year shows that it is far from a guarantee.

THN SCOUTING REPORT ON ANDERSON:

ASSETS: Reads the play very well. Can dominate games on occasion, mainly because he never quits on a play--even when he's down and out. Possesses a positive demeanor.

FLAWS: Can be guilty of flopping around in the crease area at times, which leads to bad habits--which leads to bad stretches and puck-stopping slumps.

CAREER POTENTIAL: Workhorse goaltender. STATS: Season Team Lge GP Min GA EN SO GAA W L T Svs Pct ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2007-08 Florida Panthers NHL 17 935 35 0 2 2.25 8 6 1 500 0.935 2008-09 Florida Panthers NHL 31 1636 74 0 3 2.71 15 7 5 903 0.924 2009-10 Colorado Avalanche NHL 71 4235 186 6 7 2.63 38 25 7 2047 0.917 2010-11 Colorado Avalanche NHL 33 1810 99 5 0 3.28 13 15 3 858 0.900 2010-11 Ottawa Senators NHL 11 625 22 1 1 2.11 6 4 0 333 0.940