Ottawa Senators turn attention to Craig Anderson

The Ottawa Senators recently re-signed backup goaltender Robin Lehner to a three year deal. Many speculated that this could be the beginning of the end of starter Craig Anderson’s time in Ottawa, given that Anderson is entering the last year of his deal. On the contrary, reports have surfaced that Senators management has now turned to Anderson in an attempt to re-sign their top netminder.

Bruce Garrioch from the Ottawa Sun referenced Anderson’s situation in the same piece that announced Lehner’s signing.

"After signing backup Robin Lehner to a three-year, $6.675 million deal Thursday, the Senators confirmed they’ve already held talks with Craig Anderson’s camp to try to keep him in the fold."

No terms have been discussed or even rumored, but it’s widely believed that Anderson will be due a hefty raise from the $3.2 million he’ll make in the final year of his deal. Anderson sports a .915 career save percentage and was a key cog in the team’s playoff appearance in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign, when he posted a .941 save percentage.

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That said, Anderson had a down year last season thanks to injuries and poor play. He had a .911 save percentage and a 3.00 GAA. The Senators as a whole took a drop in the standings last year, but if Anderson wants to get paid, he’ll have to return to previous levels of play in order to do so.

Regardless of what he plans to do though, Anderson’s past performance has caught the eye of Ottawa management and if they have a say in the matter, Anderson and Robin Lehner will be the team’s goaltending duo for a while longer.