End-of-Season Report Cards: Goalies
A veteran and a rookie, how did the staff and reader rate their performance?
In part III of our report card series, we take a closer look at the goal tending performance. The Senators have needed some stable goal tending for most of the year and due to injuries, the season was mostly split between the veteran Craig Anderson and the up and coming goalie of the future Marcus Hogberg. How did they do? Did Andy prove he had one more season left in him? Are we more or less excited for Hogberg’s future?
Craig Anderson (Grade: C, Previous: C- , Readers: C+)
- Stat line: 34 GP, 11-17-2, 3.25GAA, 0.902SV%/
If this is Craig Anderson’s last season with the Ottawa Senators, and it most probably is, then it should be noted that his performance the past two season is no indication of his career in Ottawa. Andy managed to take on a larger workload than expected this season due to Anders Nilsson’s absence and while he didn’t have as many “beast mode” games as he usually would have, he did provide a somewhat stable presence for most games. But with a young and inexperienced team, he needed to be a goalie that would stand on his head in almost every game he played and at this point, I don’t think it’s fair to expect Andy to be able to do that. He played a veteran game in a season that everyone knew was lost going in. Both the staff and readers seem to have a similar opinion on his performance this year which hasn’t strayed too far from his mid season rating.
Marcus Hogberg (Grade: B+, Previous: B, Readers: B+)
- Stat line: 24 GP, 5-8-8, 3.12GAA, 0.904SV%/
If there is one major setback to the season ending earlier than planned was that we didn’t get to see more of Marcus Hogberg. Unfortunately, due to personal reasons he had to miss even more games in a season where he was starting to truly showcase his abilities. Like Andy, Hogberg needed to be a brick wall most games in front of this season’s team and as a young goalie who is getting his first taste of a starter position, he did extremely well. He has a calm and creative style that is incredibly fun to watch. He had a bit of a shaky start but it didn’t take long for him to settle into his role and gain some much needed confidence that shown through in his game. It’s safe to say that the Sens had no business in getting to an overtime/shootout all those nights Hogberg stood tall against some of the most talented in the league. With a one way contract next season, both the staff and readers are very excited to see more of the young goalie. We’ve never been let down by a Swede, right?
It has been a tough season for goalies but both our veteran and rookie did well for themselves. While a seemingly quite guy, having Craig Anderson pass the torch to Hogberg will without a doubt be a huge step in his development. It will be interesting to see where Andy ends up next year and how Hogberg will handle a heavier workload.