Bryan Murray continued his rebuild of the Ottawa Senators on Friday morning, sending goaltender Brian Elliott to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for another goaltender, Craig Anderson. Both men are free agents at the end of the season, although Anderson is of the unrestricted variety while Elliott will be restricted.
Goalie Swap: Ottawa Senators Trade Brian Elliott To Colorado Avalanche For Craig Anderson
Elliott doesn’t have a good rep in Ottawa, but as SB Nation’s Silver Seven pointed out back in December, he might not be as bad as people think.
Because his game is based so heavily on technique, he’s rarely out of position--and as a result, rarely has to make highlight-reel saves. For that reason, we rarely remember him, and won’t often think of him as among the league’s top tenders.
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Consider the fact that Elliott hasn’t benefited from backing up an elite team, such as the case with Sergei Bobrovsky, Semyon Varlamov, and Michal Neuvirth. While Elliott’s won far more games than he’s lost in his career (his all-time record is 56-34-17), the Senators’ winning percentage since his rookie season is barely 49 per cent. So it’s obvious that the Senators win more games with Elliott in net than another goaltender.
The deal makes clear sense from Colorado’s perspective. Instead of re-signing Anderson at UFA market value or risk losing him for nothing, they give him up and they hope that Elliott is indeed better than his reputation.
For Ottawa, it’s a little less clear. Why would you trade an RFA for a UFA, after all? A few hypotheses:
- They’re hoping Anderson likes the direction Murray is steering the club and that he’ll re-sign before July 1.
- After struggles this season in Colorado, the Sens are hoping that a little change in scenery can help Anderson get back to the goaltender he was a year ago, when he basically led the Avs to the postseason single-handedly.
- Murray looks at this as an audition. If he likes what he sees in Anderson the Senator, he can try to re-sign him. If he doesn’t, he lets him walk. Like an infomercial, almost. No obligation, call now!
For more on the the trade, head over to Silver Seven and Mile High Hockey. Keep up with all the deadline rumors with this StoryStream.
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