Evaluating Assets: Trading Craig Anderson

Yesterday Nichols from The 6th Sens had an excellent article on potentially trading Craig Anderson. The idea has been floated around before, and it got me thinking as well so I wanted to give my two cents. Also, because this years team could potentially be a seller at the trade deadline, I will continue to do similar posts to this titled “Evaluating Assets”, where I discuss certain players and what their value is to the team and their trade value.

First of all, I will be talking about Craig Anderson. At the age of 33, Anderson has proven to be an average to above average goalie, with the potential to sometimes take it to the next level (as seen by his 2012-13 performance). He has been very valuable to the Senators, and he is probably the best goalie of all time to play in Ottawa (which is not saying much).

After signing an extension earlier in the year, he has three more seasons left with the team after this current one, with a cap hit of $4.2 million. For a goalie with a .921 save percentage in his tenure with Ottawa, that is a bargain. It’s obvious that he is a capable starter in the NHL, but what is he worth to the Senators?

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If the Senators were contenders and looking for an extra push, Anderson would be untouchable. However, that’s not the case. The outlook on the season looks bleaker by the day, and in fact trading him makes the most sense at this point. It does not have to be this season because he still has term left on his contract, but there could be some side effects if he stays with the team for next season.

Remember when Ottawa had three fantastic goalies in 2013? Well, they decided to trade arguably the best one in Ben Bishop (he wasn’t the best back then), and got the small return of Cory Conacher. There were some people who wanted to capitalize on Anderson’s trade value because he was having an insane season. He seemed too important to the team though, and he ended up staying. However, a season later it was a complete 180, as Anderson had a completely forgettable year, and he had lost almost all of his trade value.

Now that his value is back up again, it may be smart to capitalize the second time, and not make the mistake of holding onto an asset that the team doesn’t necessarily need. Obviously Anderson and Lehner have been keeping them in games this year, but they don’t need Anderson if the playoffs aren’t realistic. The team would take a huge hit, but it may be worth it if it means a better player drafted in 2015.

Furthermore, it’s not as if there is no goalie to replace him. Robin Lehner is a capable starter in the league, and I have all the confidence in him. I think he’s going to be a star, and he needs his chance to lead a team. I very much doubt Anderson stays with the team for the next three and a half years simply because this should be Lehner’s team now or at least in the near future. For the past 5 years, the indication has always been that Lehner is the goalie of the future, and I don’t think anything has changed.

It may be smart to capitalize the second time, and not make the mistake of holding onto an asset that the team doesn’t necessarily need

When Bishop was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa was also reportedly very close to trading him to the Philadelphia Flyers for Sean Couturier. If that’s what the return was going to be for an unproven Bishop, I really wonder what Anderson could net. Granted, he is 33 years old, but I’m sure there will be one team who would be desperate.

Of the teams currently in the playoffs, here are the teams that could perhaps look at Anderson in a trade: Winnipeg, San Jose, and maybe Toronto. That’s it, as every other team has an established goalie. Winnipeg looks the most obvious, as Ondrej Pavelec should not be a starter. The Sharks are unlikely as Antti Niemi has been fine, but there were rumours in the off-season about the team looking to upgrade. The Leafs are very unlikely too as I think they are set with Jonathan Bernier, but he’s not quite an established veteran.

The non-playoff teams looking at Anderson could include Philadelphia, Buffalo, Edmonton, and Minnesota. Out of those four, I think Minnesota and Edmonton are the most likely, as the Wild are still looking to make the playoffs, and the Oilers have been looking for a goaltender for years. The Flyers still have Steve Mason so they might not be looking, and Buffalo probably doesn’t want to contend just yet.

Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

I think the Jets and Wild match up perfectly with Ottawa as they are both teams on the playoff bubble and they both have bad goaltending. An Anderson trade could really boost their teams for the playoff run. Also, the Oilers make a lot of sense, since they have a backup goalie to give up (Ben Scrivens or Viktor Fasth) to Ottawa so the Senators wouldn’t have just one goalie on the roster.

As for a return, I think something along the lines of a first round pick and a prospect is reasonable, or a goalie (like Scrivens) and a top prospect. The return may be a bit underwhelming in the end, but I think exploring the possibility of a trade is smart.

Obviously, it is sad talking about trading players that have been here for a while, and I’m sure many fans out there would sincerely miss “Andy.” If the on-ice product was better, talk of trading Anderson would be almost non-existent, but the reality is this is a business, and the Senators need to have good asset management with their goaltenders. Let Lehner take the reins and get a good return for Anderson.

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