Questions abound about who will be in the crease
With Anderson likely leaving and Nilsson coming off concussion, questions abound
The Ottawa Senators need not rush.
After all, general manager Pierre Dorion still has time on his side and, oddly enough, plenty of it.
Though the Senators would normally be settling their roster at this time with September just around the corner, everything has changed as a result of the threat of the novel coronavirus. The first round of this year’s unique NHL playoffs is just about to wrap up in the hub cities of Toronto and Edmonton.
The expectation is the Senators will start training camp Nov. 17 and, after a shortened pre-season, the schedule is supposed to get underway Dec. 1. That’s if all goes as planned. If we’ve learned anything in the first eight months of 2020, things can change quickly.
When camp does start, there will be plenty of eyes on the club’s crease, as there’s likely going to be a changing of the guard. The belief is veteran netminder Craig Anderson, 38, who has been the club’s top goalie for a decade, will be allowed to test the unrestricted free agent market in October.
At this juncture, the plan is go with the Swedish duo of Anders Nilsson and Marcus Hogberg. However, nothing is written in stone. Dorion indicated at the end of the season he may bring in a veteran goalie for next year, but no final determination has been made.
That may have to wait until coach D.J. Smith and the players are back on the ice in camp.
The hope is the 30-year-old Nilsson, who has one year left on a deal that will pay him US$2.6 million, will grab the No. 1 job. However, he hasn’t suited up for a game since Dec. 16, against the Florida Panthers, and was sidelined the rest of the season with concussion symptoms.
Though he was closing in on a return in February, Nilsson suffered a setback. He did pass a baseline test in April, but hasn’t been on the ice since February. He’ll need to face shots again before a decision can be made on where his game is at.
It would be pointless for Nilsson, who makes his off-season home in northern Sweden, to go on the ice this early because camp is nearly three months away. But, at some point, he’s going to have to face live action again to find out if he’s ready to return.
Nilsson had a 9-9-2 record with a .908 save percentage and 3.18 goals-against average last season in 20 appearances with the Senators. He was the one guy on the Senators that could have benefited from playing seven or eight games in a bubble to complete the season.
“To me, he was inches away from playing in a game (in February) and then he had a setback and with a concussion you just never know when it’s going to hit you again,” goalie coach Pierre Groulx said May 1. “It’s been tough on him, really tough on him, because his game was really coming along before he got hurt. Injuries happen. He’s going to find a way to build through this.”
Hogberg, signed to a one-way contract this season that will pay him $800,000, showed last season he can play at the NHL level.
He was forced to carry the ball after Nilsson was injured and Anderson was also sidelined. The 25-year-old Hogberg struggled in some areas by giving up bad goals, but he has plenty of time to work on his game while at his home in Sweden.
“Part of (Hogberg’s) progress is his willingness to learn every day,” Groulx said in that same May 1 interview. “He’d make a mistake on one goal or one play and then we’d look at it on video or work on the ice and understand that, ‘OK, I’ve got to do that.’ His understanding and willingness to get better allowed him to prove to himself he’s an NHL goalie. “
If Nilsson isn’t ready to go, this is where it could get dicey and that’s when the organization will have to consider whether it wants to bring in another veteran to solidify the all-important position.
There’s also no shortage of goalies in the Ottawa organization if they don’t want to go the veteran route. The club has Filip Gustavsson and Joey Daccord with the AHL team in Belleville, while Kevin Mandolese was signed to a deal by the organization late April. The club also has WHL prospect Mads Sogaard in the system.
No, the Senators don’t need to concern themselves at the moment, but as they prepare to shape the roster, this is one area where Dorion, Smith and Groulx will be keeping a close watch on what transpires in the coming weeks and months.