Andrew Hammond put on waivers
The goaltender looks to be assigned to Belleville
The Ottawa Senators have made one announcement with regards to their goaltending picture:
#Sens roster update: goaltender Andrew Hammond has been placed on waivers for the purpose of being assigned to Belleville (AHL).
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 28, 2017
This means that Craig Anderson and Mike Condon will start as the Sens’ tandem to start the season. This is not a surprise, though some wondered if Hammond would stay up after Condon’s atrocious pre-season performance against the Devils. (But let’s be real - it’s pre-season which means it doesn’t count, unless you’re the Canadiens.)
What is unclear is that the Sens now have four goalies for their AHL team. Danny Taylor, Marcus Hogberg, and Chris Driedger are all already assigned to the team. Based on Taylor’s salary, it’s safe to say he’ll be staying with the big club. Many hope Hogberg will also stay with Belleville, as he appears the best bet to be the team’s future in net. Moving from the SHL to the ECHL would be a large downgrade for him. Driedger spent his first pro year in the ECHL, and it’s hard to see the benefit of sending him back after two full seasons in the AHL. Not to mention that the Sens don’t even have an official ECHL affiliate, so it would have to be a loan.
None of this even addresses Hammond. It’s possible he could be loaned to another AHL franchise, or to a team in Europe. He would obviously have to agree to it, but it would allow him to play out the final year of his NHL contract before the Sens are rid of him. I say this because the team spent all of last year trying to trade him, and then the whole summer pretending he didn’t exist. Goaltending depth is good (as found out when The Hamburglar Run happened), but having four goalies competing for two spots in the minors probably isn’t ideal. It remains to be seen how this all shakes down.
In other Belleville news, Cody Donaghey has been assigned to ECHL’s Brampton Beast.
