Ottawa Senators: Why They Should Not Have Re-Signed Craig Anderson

From the moment the Ottawa Senators acquired Craig Anderson from the Colorado Avalanche, Senators' fans have been under the impression that it was a great pickup.

“What a steal!”

"Great move!"

“Bryan Murray stole Craig Anderson!”

Well fans, once again, it was a terrible move.

Why?

Let me spell this out in plain English—the Ottawa Senators got played.

They got absolutely played.

Does anyone seriously believe for a moment that the Avalanche think Brian Elliott is, or will ever be, a legitimate starting goalie? The Avalanche did not acquire Brian Elliott. They purposely upgraded the goaltending situation of a team below them in the standings—a team that has now passed them in the standings.

Good on them. That’s exactly the type of aggressive attitude towards collecting top draft picks the Senators need.

Anderson has already cost the Senators at least one position in this year’s draft lottery—probably more if you consider they would be neck and neck with the Oilers if he hadn’t stolen four or five games.

How many draft positions is he now going to cost them over a full season?

What the Senators need to do at this point is stockpile lottery picks. They will gain absolutely nothing from an ill-conceived push for the playoffs.

Just ask the Avalanche.

They finished 28th in the league in 2009, the very same position the Senators currently hold, only to have Anderson put together a Vezina-caliber season in 2010. And as a result, they missed out on acquiring a top prospect. The next season, Anderson comes back down to Earth, and all of a sudden everybody realizes the Avalanche are more than a few pieces away from competing for the Stanley Cup.

Is this what Bryan Murray wants to happen in Ottawa?

Think about how much further along in their development the Avalanche would be if they picked up Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin or Jeff Skinner.

In the salary cap era, when franchise players no longer reach unrestricted free agency, you need to lose before you win.

Which is why the Senators should never have traded Brian Elliott.

While he may not be a legitimate No. 1 starter, his mediocre play makes him the perfect fit for a rebuilding franchise. He’s good enough to justify putting between the pipes, but nowhere near good enough to carry a team out of the basement and into playoff contention, which is exactly what the Senators need.

Guaranteed lottery pick.

Does Anderson have more potential than Elliott?

Absolutely.

But what will the Senators gain if Anderson wins the Vezina Trophy next season? They’re not going to win the Stanley Cup, so what's the point?

Who cares if you win an extra ten games next season, or squeak into the playoffs and get bounced in the first round? If you’re not going to win the Stanley Cup, at least try and acquire new assets that will help you do so in the future.

This team is about three lottery picks away from being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Yet they go out and sign a guy who, only a year ago, prematurely lifted a rebuilding franchise out of a lottery position.

Wow, really?

Ask yourself this: Are the Senators trying to build a Stanley Cup favorite, or win a few games in 2011?

Does anybody remember how many points the Blackhawks finished with in 2006? No, they remember Jonathan Toews lifting the Stanley Cup above his head.

Craig Anderson is a streaky goalie, so hopefully he’ll have another terrible season next year and the Senators will be able to collect their lottery pick. But just the fact that the Senators are willing to put that pick in jeopardy shows us that they are not committed to a serious rebuild.

This deal could still work out for the Senators. If they can manage to collect high draft picks in the next few seasons, or draft a franchise player out of the middle of the first round, having Anderson three and four years down the road could be helpful.

Then again, it could also be another $3 million a year disaster.

The guy is 29-years-old and has one good season behind him.

Haven’t we seen this movie before? Oh yeah, it’s called Martin Gerber—playing in a minor league arena near you.

The $3 million a year is not the problem. Nor is the length of the contract. If Anderson falls off the map, they can just bury him in the minors.

But it's Anderson's potential to lift a rebuilding franchise out of a lottery pick that makes this deal absolutely nonsensical.

The Senators had a decision to make heading into this offseason.

They could try to become the next Chicago Blackhawks or Pittsburgh Penguins—stocking up on multiple lottery picks and becoming perennial Stanley Cup contenders.

Or they could be the next Toronto Maple Leafs, Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, or St. Louis Blues—clawing for a playoff spot every March.

Sadly, it appears that decision has been made.

Here we go again.