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ANDERSON, SENS AGREE ON FOUR-YEAR EXTENSION
The Ottawa Senators, in a matter of weeks, were able to do something the Colorado Avalanche could not do in a much longer period of time: get Craig Anderson's name on a long-term contract.
The Sens announced today they and Anderson had agreed to terms on a four-year extension worth a shade under $3.2M per year (2.75, 3, 3.5, 3.5). He was due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Ottawa acquired him in a February trade for goaltender Brian Elliott, who will become a restricted free agent this summer.
The Denver Post indicated today after this signing that the Avs offered Anderson more money to stay in Denver. Yes, the catch is that it was more money for only a two-year period, not four. But the Avs did offer Anderson a contract last summer – two years, $7.5 million. That works out to an average of $3.75 million.
Anderson took “term” (length of contract) over “AAV” – annual average value. Can’t really blame a guy for wanting to know how much he’ll be paid for four years, rather than just two.
Good point. It's also worth noting that Anderson's market value was higher last summer - coming off a strong season - than it was after this year's pre-Sens disaster.
Regardless: this is, IMO, a really solid signing by Sens GM Bryan Murray.
First and foremost, Murray immediately identified why this deal was so important: "He's brought stability. The position is one that we need if you're going to rebuild, retool this team."
Exactly. Regardless of how quickly the Sens can turn this ship around in this process, Anderson is a guy who has proven can be the backbone on a mediocre club and make them a better and more competitive team. I felt and wrote at the time of the trade - when Anderson's stats were horrible and people were questioning just how good he was - that the Sens pulled off a great move. The Avs took the security of knowing Elliott - a decent goalie in his own right - would be their property past this summer since he'll only be an RFA.
But in the process, they gave up on a guy who had struggled through a few injuries and was playing in front of a team that wasn't faring well in front of him.
C'est la vie.
Critics of this deal might rightfully question why the Sens would want to tie up Anderson for four years with Robin Lehner, who has been tagged as a franchise goalie, on the horizon here.
Fair observation too. But now there is absolutely zero pressure on Lehner to mature more quickly than needed, which is a point that can't be stressed enough. The development of even a blue chip prospect like Lehner could be severely delayed, hampered or even entirely ruined by forcing things too quickly.
And when Lehner is ready to not only challenge - but beat out - Anderson for the No. 1 job, this contract is one that won't make opposing GMs shudder if they're in the market for a starter. Anderson will turn 30 on May 21, so he should be a valuable commodity throughout the four years of this deal.
IMO, there's no way it'll take four years for Lehner to be ready to challenge Anderson as the No. 1 guy. But there is no exact timetable for this sort of thing and let's remember a case that should be extremely fresh in the minds of Canadian hockey fans in particular: Cory Schneider with the Vancouver Canucks. He was a late first round pick in 2004 and Lehner was a mid-second round pick in 2009.
Schneider has arguably been ready to be in the NHL for a few years now, but he didn't get his back-up gig with the Canucks until this year - when he was 24. He just turned 25 a few days ago.
He had several years at Boston College and then another three years to season in the AHL - where he posted some pretty dominating numbers - before being given the No. 2 role behind Roberto Luongo. And Schneider has looked excellent this season playing behind a strong Vancouver squad.
The message here isn't that it'll take Lehner - who will be 20 when next season begins - until he's 24 to be NHL ready. Far from it. In fact, I think Lehner is much closer to being NHL-ready today than Schneider was at the same age.
The Sens should easily be able to find an inexpensive, veteran back-up to ink to a one-year deal for '11-12 (maybe even Curtis McElhinney, but there will be other options out there) to play the 15-20 games Anderson won't start. That would give Lehner an entire season to do nothing but eat up starts in the AHL and be an injury call-up when needed - rather than have to go through the interrupted process he endured this season.
Then the Sens could decide whether it'd be in his best interests to have him back-up for '12-13, or play another AHL season. I'd imagine he'll be ready to back-up Anderson by that point (if not sooner, but again - why rush it?) but it would give the team options.
Remember how good Tuukka Rask looked last year? He's clearly going to be a franchise goalie for the Boston Bruins, IMO, but the combination of a stalled beginning to this year from him and the stellar play of sure Vezina-winner Tim Thomas led to a reminder for fans that young goalies - and young players in general - have growing pains. It's all part of the process.
Patience is truly a virtue in prospect development and Bryan Murray should be commended not only for ensuring the short-term security of Lehner's development by placing a solid, heavy-start No. 1 guy between the pipes in Anderson - but also for making sure the deal isn't one that should tie the hands of the Senators a few years down the road when Lehner is ready to advance his NHL career.
Anderson gets the peace of mind of a four-year deal. The Sens get the peace of mind knowing they're set in net today and won't have to rush Lehner.
Win-win.
SUMMER GOALTENDING MARKET
Recently and for the near future at least, it has been and will be a buyer's market for goaltending in the NHL. The supply outweighs the demand, which is partially why a guy like Evgeny Nabokov wound up in the KHL last summer to begin with.
That said, let's have a brief look at how things are shaping up for this coming summer. There are teams that will be looking to improve upon their current goaltending, so what'll be out there on the unrestricted free agent market July 1?
Assuming the New York Islanders don't toll his contract after this whole waiver mess, Nabokov may be able to sign with whichever team he wants. If that's the case, it's entirely possible he'll wind up at his preferred destination of Detroit, since they'll be looking for a capable back-up for Jimmy Howard. I still think a potential wildcard there could be the return of Daniel Larsson from the Swedish Elite League (he has an out clause in his two-year deal there), but Thomas McCollum clearly needs more time to develop before he'll be ready to go into that No. 2 role. Nabokov, once he shakes the rust off, will still be capable of being a No. guy but it seems like he'll be entirely content to bide his time in a supporting role if it'll mean a chance to win.
Tomas Vokoun, who will turn 35 the day after free agency opens, will be available. The cap hit on his current four-year deal is $5.7M and if he wants to go to a more competitive team he'll certainly be shaving big dollars off that price tag.
30-year old stalwart Ilya Bryzgalov, who'll be 31 in June, will need a new contract from the Phoenix Coyotes. Marty Turco's deal with Chicago was only for one season. Didn't quite work out like either side thought it would, but at least he's been a solid guy to have around the team.
Teams looking to test their medical staffs might want to look at Pascal Leclaire or Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Dwayne Roloson has been pretty great for Tampa Bay. One more year? Near the start of next season he'll turn 42.
In the market for a dependable back-up? Ty Conklin (he remains one of the top back-ups in the game because of his ability to inspire confidence in his teammates when he's between the pipes and step up when needed), Mathieu Garon (Columbus better re-sign him), Alex Auld (has he not been a wonderful complement to Carey Price?) and Jason LaBarbera (has the proper mindset to be ready behind a heavy-start No. 1 guy) will be out there.
How much value would you put on 34-year old Brian Boucher, who delivered good performances when Sergei Bobrovsky faltered slightly earlier? The Flyers still have Michael Leighton, currently in the AHL, on the books for one more year. He's only 9-10-3 there, but with excellent 2.24/ .924 spits and three shutouts.
A potential steal this summer could be whoever inks Ray Emery to a contract. It's very early in his comeback, but everything has been positive so far. He'll only be 29 when next season begins too and chances are he'll be available for a song, relative to anyone else available with his upside as a bonafide starter.
Another interesting choice could be Josh Harding, coming off major ACL/ MCL surgery that has sidelined him this entire season. He'll turn 27 this summer and has plenty of upside as a guy who has bided his time in Minnesota, but with the current glut of goalies he'll likely have no choice but to take a depth job as either an NHL back-up or a top AHL guy and then work his way back from there. Europe could also be an option.
It's time for the Avs to cut the cord with Peter Budaj and sign someone else who can be a legit No. 1 in a healthy competition with Brian Elliott. If they don't, they'll have no one to blame but themselves for not improving at that position. Budaj, from all accounts, is a fantastic human being and he's ok in limited stints as a starter. Not a bad back-up. But there are better options out there and it's time Colorado exercised one of them.
Also on this summer's UFA list:
Jose Theodore: Here's a guy who can be a back-up, a starter timeshare option or a lower-end No. 1 guy below the heavy start level. Given the current climate, he'll probably have to settle for a back-up role and then get more starts if the top guy gets hurt like he's done in Minnesota this season.
Johan Hedberg: If he wants to sign with the Devils for another season for a little less money, he'd be a perfect fit again to give Brodeur rest. Hedberg has already proven he can fill the No. 1 role in case of injury too. Please let Jacques Lemaire come back for one more season. Please.
Mike Smith. Upside is there, but he needs to get his "A" game confidence back, IMO. Seems likely as a depth signing for an organization to fill an AHL role next season, where he'd have to work his way back up.
Chris Osgood. Rarely gets enough respect, but it's time to call it a career and move into the goalie coach/ consultant realm (if he wants) where he would shine. His mentor role to Jimmy Howard has seemingly been invaluable and nobody in the NHL is more qualified to teach a young goalie about keeping an even keel through the highs and lows of the job.
Jeff Deslauriers: There are too many better goalies, IMO, for him to have an NHL job next season barring an injury somewhere.
Henrik Karlsson: What do you think Calgary fans - bring him back for another year, look behind Door No. 2 on the UFA market or give Leland Irving a shot to back-up Kipper?
There are other names on the list, naturally, but that's a brief look at the main guys. I'll do a more detailed look team-by-team before the summer.
