The last time we saw Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond, he was in the midst of the inevitable fall back to earth following one of the most incredible stretches of goaltending in NHL history.
Unfortunately for Hammond and the Senators, that return to reality happened on the biggest stage, during their first round series against the Montreal Canadiens. And while his two playoff starts probably didn’t go exactly the way Hammond wanted them to, it goes without saying that last year is one the 27-year old British Columbia native won’t soon forget.
After starting the season in the American Hockey League, Hammond burst onto the scene in the NHL, taking the Ottawa Senators on an unprecedented run to claim a spot in the playoffs.
Even after more than four months to reflect, I still find myself shaking my head at the numbers Hammond put up. A 20-1-2 record. Twenty wins and just one regulation loss. In pressure packed games. Just think about that for a second. His goals against average was an incredible 1.79 accompanied by a .941 save percentage.
This off season, Senators Management recognized Hammond for that run and rightfully so. His three year contract comes with a cap hit of $1.35 million a season including $1.2 mil in the first season, $1.35 in year two and $1.5 mil in the final season. It’s not a huge contract financially speaking but for a player who’s pro hockey future was somewhat in doubt up until that magical run in February, March and April, it has to feel pretty good.
There was a good amount of hand-wringing among fans when the Senators signed Hammond to this deal but realistically, letting him walk was never an option.
Hammond’s emergence also allowed the Senators to pull the trigger on a deal they were already seriously considering. The rumours about a possible Robin Lehner trade started as far back as January and really had nothing to do with Hammond’s play. Of course Hammond made the decision a little easier for the Senators. As did the signing of Boston University free agent Matt O’Connor.
With Lehner out of the picture, Andrew Hammond now has a chance to start the season as number two on the depth chart and prove that last season wasn’t a complete fluke.
That will be the challenge for Hammond. The comparisons to the ridiculous standard he set for himself last season are obviously unfair. Hammond is not going to repeat that performance and quite frankly, it’s possible no goalie ever will again. All Hammond has to do now is be a reliable back up to Craig Anderson and play well when given the chance.
He’s obviously capable of playing at the NHL level and now has to prove that over the course of a full season.
What do you expect from Hammond next season?
