Buffalo Sabres: Why re-signing Craig Anderson made sense
By Sion Fawkes
The Buffalo Sabres announced that they re-signed 41-year-old goaltender Craig Anderson to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.
The Buffalo Sabres continue to creep toward the cap floor by doubling goaltender Craig Anderson’s contract. And while many in the Sabres faithful were ready to pass on Anderson, I was in the other camp – Re-signing the 41-year-old Anderson was a sensational move by general manager Kevyn Adams.
While Anderson played in just 31 contests this season because of multiple injuries and his save percentage dipped below the 90 percent mark for the first time since 2017-18, he still posted a 17-12-2 record with a GAA of 3.12, his lowest since 2016-17 (minimum 30 starts).
But performance isn’t the reason the Sabres were right to re-sign Anderson. It is the fact that he can oversee a room that may contain as many as three goaltenders.
Why the Buffalo Sabres made the right move to re-sign Craig Anderson
The Sabres wanted someone in their room to be a mentor, presumably to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who struggled with inconsistency last season. But we need to admit, when Luukkonen was having a good game, he was having a game.
Luukkonen needs goaltenders surrounding him that are not a threat to take his job long-term if the Sabres are to see what they have. Anderson is clearly not the long-term solution, but he is a valuable asset for Luukkonen.
Further, re-signing Anderson also means that the Sabres don’t need to rush Luukkonen into action if they don’t feel he’s ready, something Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News pointed out. Regardless, Anderson will likely be the backup in Buffalo, so expect the Sabres to add one final goaltender to the room, most likely Braden Holtby, whose name has been thrown around often.
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Finally, Anderson can, at worst, act as a player-coach. He may end up being a healthy scratch more often than not if Luukkonen is in Buffalo along with someone like Holtby. Some may see that as the Sabres paying someone $1.5 million to ride the bench. I see it as Anderson being a valuable asset for both young and experienced goaltenders in Buffalo.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)