Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean has named Craig Anderson as the team's No. 1 goaltender entering the 2013 regular season but has not made up his mind whether he will start Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets in the season opener.
Craig Anderson named Senators’ No. 1 goaltender, not yet named starter for season opener
Craig Anderson has been named the Ottawa Senators starting goaltender but has not been named the team’s starter for the season opener on Saturday.
Jim McIsaac
Since the lifting of the 113-day lockout, several of the reports profiling the Senators have touched on the club’s goaltending situation.
While Anderson has largely been acknowledged as the likely candidate to start the season as the team's No. 1, there is doubt whether that will be the case throughout the year. With young goaltenders Ben Bishop and Robin Lehner waiting in the wings, Anderson has some competition for his job.
In addition, Anderson did not play over the course of the lockout because he (like many goaltenders) struggled to find a job overseas.
Bishop and Lehner, in the meantime, were both playing with Ottawa’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators and registered impressive performances. Bishop compiled an 8-3-2 record with a 2.59 goals against average and a. 928 save percentage, while Lehner currently has a 14-5-1 record, 1.90 GAA and .945 save percentage.
Some have proposed that depending on the team’s performance this year, Anderson could potentially be used as a trade piece to bolster the club’s roster. That, of course, is a discussion for later in the season but is something to keep in mind.
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