Jared Crozier: Where does Anderson fit on pecking order?

I have no problem with Anderson. I think he's a solid #1. He fits into Ottawa very well, we tending to be good at everything but not great at anything and that's Anderson.

I do wish we had resigned Matt O'Connor. I think with some development he could have turned out to be quite a good goalie.

That position always freaks me out. Somewhat like getting a #1C. You either have to draft a star goalie or give up everything to get one. Nethier of which Ottawa is doing.

I think we're fine while Anderson is here but when he retires, we're in trouble

Jared Crozier: Where does Anderson fit on pecking order?
- JaredCrozier

Jared you are absolutely correct in saying each team tends to over value their own players, in addition I tend to think fans of other teams tend to under value players from opposing teams a little bit. The comical trade discussions that result are great however.

Anderson does have a lot of peaks and valleys as you say, one day he can be simply unbelievable and other days he is just meh, granted this is based on a rather small sample size as I don't see many Sens games, just my observation from what I have seen. What do the Sens have coming up behind him? He is getting up there and I am sure we may see some regression in his play in the near future.

Not much really, we had Matt O'Connor and didn't offer him a contract.

Marcus Hogberg is okay but not going to be a star goalie any time soon

Right after Murray

Andy is easily in the top 15. I would say he is on the cusp of being in the top 10.

There are quite a few of these guys who are great in the regular season, but are lesser versions of themselves in the playoffs.

Andy improves in the playoffs and in big moments in regular season games. Outside the last lockout year, his numbers have always been consistently better in the playoffs than during the regular season, and he always seems to find a way to make saves late in regular season games.

Most of Andy's soft goals come early in games, which gives the team time to recover.

Of that list (including the honorable mentions), based on playoff performances, I would put Andy easily ahead of:

Dubnyk
Bobrovsky
Talbot
Gibson (I honestly can't believe he is on any list of great goalies)

You could even argue that when it matters, Andy is a better goalie than Pekka Rinne.

What's this game 7 meltdown you've referenced? Can you elaborate on that?

Thanks

Putting him ahead of Bobrovosky or Talbot after both their seasons last year is nothing short of crazy and this is coming from a Sens fan...

Not much really, we had Matt O'Connor and didn't offer him a contract.

Marcus Hogberg is okay but not going to be a star goalie any time soon
- Maverick1818

Matt O'Connor was an undrafted goalie who couldn't stop a beach ball when he turned pro. Hogberg is 10 times the prospect O'Connor is and he is also younger than O'Connor. The Sens won't miss 1 min of Matt O'Connor.

In head to head playoff rounds Anderson has outplayed both Price and Lundqvist over the past few years. Certainly nobody doubts that Anderson significantly outplayed Lundqvist this last playoff.

Boucher believes in Anderson. Regardless his promise nobody ever thought of Robin Lehner of being able to replace Anderson. Anderson's numbers are really good. He wins when it matters and he takes a lot of rubber.

This may be about the weakest evaluation that anybody has ever written on a Senator player.

I have no idea what is the criteria for evaluating Anderson as a second tier goaltender when everyone in Boston and New York swear that Anderson stole both series. Maybe Jared has decided to make goal tending like a figure skating competition. Stopping the puck needs to be balanced by style points.

Putting him ahead of Bobrovosky or Talbot after both their seasons last year is nothing short of crazy and this is coming from a Sens fan...
- karlssens65

Bobrovsky has a career .887 save % in the playoffs.

Just like skaters, some goalies disappear in the playoffs.

As for Talbot, Andy actually had better numbers than him in the regular season last year.

In head to head playoff rounds Anderson has outplayed both Price and Lundqvist over the past few years. Certainly nobody doubts that Anderson significantly outplayed Lundqvist this last playoff.

Boucher believes in Anderson. Regardless his promise nobody ever thought of Robin Lehner of being able to replace Anderson. Anderson's numbers are really good. He wins when it matters and he takes a lot of rubber.

This may be about the weakest evaluation that anybody has ever written on a Senator player.

I have no idea what is the criteria for evaluating Anderson as a second tier goaltender when everyone in Boston and New York swear that Anderson stole both series. Maybe Jared has decided to make goal tending like a figure skating competition. Stopping the puck needs to be balanced by style points.
- spatso

This is right.

Andy outmatched Rask, Lundquist and Fleury/Murray this year. The Pens won the series, but Andy had far more work.

Andy had a rough 2nd round against the Rangers. I think anyone would admit that. Thing is, it is now known he had a terrible back during that series. And he still outplayed Hank.

The last time the Sens made the playoffs, Andy came in, in game three and allowed 4 goals in 4 games vs the Habs. The Sens lost the series, but Andy was 2-2 with a GAA under 1 and a .972 save %.

In five playoff seasons, he's only had a save % under .920 once.

The guy is a big game player. He's also dynamite in the 3rd period and OT. The guy rarely lets in weak goals when the game is on the line.

If there is one position where the playoffs should be weighed more heavily than the regular season, it's goaltending.

There are far too many goalies on that list who either have terrible playoff numbers, or next to no playoff experience.

Matt O'Connor was an undrafted goalie who couldn't stop a beach ball when he turned pro. Hogberg is 10 times the prospect O'Connor is and he is also younger than O'Connor. The Sens won't miss 1 min of Matt O'Connor.
- Stalemate

Agreed, I'm honestly not sure why anyone would be concerned about O'Connor, given that he's basically done nothing but crap the bed for 2 years. Look at Hammond and Condon if you want to see what kind of progress an undrafted goaltender should have if they're going to make an NHL impact. As you noted, Hogberg is by far the best goaltender in the system who needs AHL development, and Driedger is younger than O'Connor and is every bit as effective in a supporting role.

As for Anderson, he's frequently overlooked because he does have consistency issues - but he's the kind of goaltender who's almost better with 40 shots against than 20, is capable of putting bad goals behind him, and has shown on more than one occasion that he has another level to his game where he can compete with the best in the game (eg. outplaying Price, Lundqvist and Rask head-to-head in the playoffs). And if last year's 1/2 season and playoff run was any indication of how he's capable of playing under Boucher, he's could well be more effective than many of the goaltenders that made that list.

I don't think I would be far off to say there's maybe a half dozen goalies that are absolute game thief's for their teams, and often make their team look a lot better then they are (I'm looking at you Montreal, and to a lesser extent the Rangers). Anderson isn't one of them, but he's definitely somewhere in the next 10-12. Reliable goaltenders on playoff or bubble playoff teams. Whose available that's better then Anderson? Fleury?

Significant upgrades in that position don't come along often and don't come cheap. If the Sens want to make an upgrade somewhere, it need not be in net.

Andy's biggest problem is inconsistency. It's hard to get up for every game in a season. However, when he wants to, he's one of the best. He brings it for big games, which includes playoffs. And at the end of the day, that's all that really matters (just have to make sure you get in).

Not sure how much more he has in the tank, but until there is a tremendous drop in his game or he retires, keep giving him the net.

Andy is good. Consistent with few bad goals. He's a reactionary goalie that relies heavily on reading plays. I like him but is time is up. I'm expecting a regression this years. Condon will probably have to bail him out a couple of time.

What's sad about this team management is that they didn't go after Bishop. A big goalie like that in our system would had been great. Now Andy's time is up, we don't have a solid number one goalie for next year. Next year will probably be the time to push for a cup as Karlsson will need a new contract. 10.5 to 11M to Karlsson will not allow us to spend on another top 6 forward or top 4 Dman.

Two step back in two years folks, as always, we will stay in the middle of the pack with no playoff and no top 3 draft pick...poop

BOBROVSKY! You're off the case!

I think Anderson is a solid number one goalie but he doesn't have the flashiness of the top 10 guys. His highs aren't as high

BOBROVSKY! You're off the case!

I think Anderson is a solid number one goalie but he doesn't have the flashiness of the top 10 guys. His highs aren't as high
- jcragcrumple

you know...... when your mouth gets dry, yer pretty high

My only issue with Andy is how bad he is at playing the puck or at stopping wrap arounds .90 percent of his bad goals are from those 2 things.

I have always liked Anderson, and while I do not entirely disagree with the ranking, it should be noted that his perceived performance is affected by the team in front of him. Anderson might let in some soft goals from time to time, and he does have frequent injury issues, but when playing he usually gives the Senators a more than decent chance to win.

I think with signing up Condon on a 3-year contract the Senators have a transition plan in place, and hopefully the farm can bring a decent backup for the day Anderson decides to hang up his skates.