Ottawa Senators Greatest Players: Number – 8 Craig Anderson
Today as we dive deeper into the top ten of the greatest Ottawa Senators of all-time we arrive at number eight. The greatest goaltender in Ottawa Senators history. The current man between the pipes, Craig Anderson.
The Ottawa Senators have only had three goaltenders in their history that brought truly consistent and stable performances, Patrick Lalime and Dominik Hasek were two of them. Hasek was only with the team for one year and Lalime left the team before the full season lockout of 04-05. The final goalie to bring stability in Ottawa was and is Craig Anderson.
Following the departure of Hasek the Sens went through a variety of goaltenders that were sporadically good but never consistent. Emery, Gerber, and Elliott to name a few all had their moments where they seemed elite, but it never lasted. However, in 2011 when the Sens were beginning to rebuild they made a one for one trade that sent Brian Elliott to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Craig Anderson. This has turned out to be one of the best trades in Sens history. Ever since then Craig Anderson has held the fort for the Ottawa Senators.
Growing Elite
Before joining the Sens Anderson had moments where he looked like an elite goaltender. A great example is the playoffs in 2010. However, he hadn’t proven to be among the elite starters. However, when he came to Ottawa he became the epitome of consistency. At worst he has turned out seasons where he was league average. However, many seasons including this past one he was among the league’s elite.
Confusingly Anderson continues to be underrated throughout the league. Despite being among the top 10 goalies in the league statistically many times he never seems to be recognized like he should. Despite this his contribution has not been lost on Sens fans. We all know how important he is to this club.
Next: Ottawa Senators Greatest Players: Number – 9 Chris Phillips
The Sens’ Greatest Goalie
Before this season it was a toss-up between Lalime and Anderson for the greatest goalie in Sens’ history. However, now that Anderson has had a deep playoff run he gets the edge. He has played the most games for the Ottawa Senators at 288 and has done so with a 2.59 GAA and 0.920 SV%. Craig Anderson is the best goalie in Sens’ history and their eight greatest player ever.