As NHL veterans start to play overseas, there’s one group that will have a particularly hard time landing jobs: goaltenders.
Although some of them will be able to spend the lockout in Europe, finding a team looking to integrate a new goaltender into their roster -- especially one that might leave mid-season if a new CBA is signed -- might be more difficult than finding a team open to adding a forward or defenseman to their squad.
Senators starting goaltender Craig Anderson is one of the NHL netminders that has run into this problem, according to the Ottawa Sun.
“I can’t speak for the other goalies, but I’ve been looking at this situation for the last six weeks and trying to put a Plan B in place,��� said Anderson’s agent, Justin Duberman. “There’s just not a lot of jobs out there right now for goalies. When teams were signing during the free agency in Europe, they weren’t planning for a lockout.
“There were a couple of teams in Switzerland that left some import spots open that would have already been filled just in case they could sign an NHL forward or defenceman. For the goalie position, teams really don’t operate that way. That’s been a big challenge.”
Anderson had a 2.83 GAA and .914 save percentage in 63 games last season. He also helped the Ottawa Senators play evenly against the New York Rangers in the first round, although the Senators ultimately lost the series in seven games.