Ottawa Senators Future in Goal

The Ottawa Senators goaltending situation is one that took an interesting turn this past summer, as GM Bob Murray traded away young goaltender, Robin Lehner and entrusted Craig Anderson and Andrew Hammond with protecting the Senators net. What Murray got in return isn’t what we will focus on, rather, we will focus on where the Senators go from here with their current goalies, Craig Anderson and Andrew Hammond.

On February 18th 2015, the ‘hamburglar’ craze began around the NHL, as Andrew Hammond picked up his first NHL win in his first start. Hammond made 42 saves to backstop the Ottawa Senators as they were victorious over the Montreal Canadiens.

From that moment on, Hammond took the NHL by storm, as he went on an incredible win steak. Hammond went 14-0-1 before suffering his first regulation loss to the New York Rangers.

Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond may have a lot of weight on his shoulders in the near future. The Sens’ management are hoping that he can replicate his 2014-15 performance on a more consistent basis in the team’s future.

Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Hammond jumped on his first NHL opportunity, as Sens’ starter Craig Anderson, and backup Robin Lehner were both unavailable to the team due to injuries. Hammond was lucky to have stepped up at just the right time, as he played a crucial part in getting the Senators in to the playoffs.

In fact, Craig Anderson actually lost the starting job to the fresh new goaltender, and Robin Lehner was in limbo as the team’s third goalie. Andrew Hammond was the goalie chosen to start the Senators off in the 2015 playoffs, as he was one of the main reasons that the team was even in the playoffs to begin with.

This season, Andrew Hammond has taken the backup role to Craig Anderson. Hammond has only played one game thus far, and it was a loss.

Let’s talk numbers. Craig Anderson is 34, and will be 35 by the end of this season. Andrew Hammond is 27, turning 28 right around the trade deadline. Craig Anderson can only be expected to perform at an elite level for a few more years, as he is quickly approaching an age that could quite possibly hold him back. Andrew Hammond is much younger than Anderson, but is Hammond the goalie that Anderson will pass the torch to when his time is up? Who knows, maybe Craig Anderson will be able to perform at the ripe age of 36, though that is doubtful.

Oct 14, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) looks on in net in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Senators won 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

It seems that the NHL has come down from their high on the ‘hamburglar’, and the question now becomes: Who is the goalie of the future for the Ottawa Senators? Is it Andrew Hammond? It was pretty clear, before the Hammond craze, that Robin Lehner would be the one to take over the crease when Anderson no longer could, but as mentioned earlier, Lehner was traded to the Buffalo Sabres this past summer. It looks as if Andrew Hammond forced GM Murray’s hand in trading Lehner, solidifying his spot on the Sens’ roster.

Sep 29, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Robin Lehner (40) during the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Hammond can’t fully be credited for forcing GM Murray to trade Lehner, as the Sens’ had also signed young college goaltender Matt O’Connor this past summer.

Having yet another goalie in the system forced Bob Murray to make a move. In addition, the Senators had some other needs in their lineup, and they could have used the return for one of their goalies to improve their team as a whole.

The fact is, the Senators core is young and talented, consisting of players like Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, Bobby Ryan, Mika Zibanejad, Cody Ceci, Curtis Lazar and J.G. Pageau. These players all play important roles in theSens’ lineup, and their average age is just over 23.

With this young, talented core, the Senators can be a contender any time soon. The Sens’ also have some promising prospects coming up in their system, and they will eventually be a force to be reckoned with around the NHL. But when that time comes, who will be between the pipes?

Matt O’Connor has some time to develop in the AHL for now, as he is 23, and not depended on by the Senators just yet.

It looks like Craig Anderson will one day pass the torch to Andrew Hammond and young Matt O’Connor, and it looks like the Senators management are hoping that at least one of these two goaltenders will end up being a consistent NHL starter. The Senators definitely got more value in trading Robin Lehner than what they would have received from Andrew Hammond, but they might have made a mistake in trading away a young, talented goaltender with a bright future in the league.

Only time will tell if trading Robin Lehner was the right move, and only time will tell if either Hammond or O’Connor will ever turn out to be NHL starters. One thing that is certain is that the Sens’ have a young, talented core with lots of potential. If they want to do some serious damage in the NHL in years to come, they’re going to need steady goaltending.

Next: Max Talbot Sent to AHL

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