While Senators goaltender Craig Anderson has been discussed as a speculative trade candidate in what is likely his final NHL season, the netminder told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that his preference would be to not get traded. The 38-year-old has been with Ottawa since the 2010-11 campaign and is having a bit of a tough season with a 3.19 GAA and a .901 SV% while losing starts to Marcus Hogberg in recent weeks. With Anders Nilsson getting closer to returning as well, it could be a crowded crease if Anderson isn’t moved. The veteran has a $4.75MM cap hit and a 10-team no-trade clause which could make any potential move tricky.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Panthers will have center Aleksander Barkov back in the lineup on Saturday against Pittsburgh, notes George Richards of The Athletic (Twitter link). He has missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury sustained against Montreal and they haven’t fared well offensively in his absence, scoring just five goals in that stretch which is less than half their season average in goals per game. Meanwhile, Richards adds (Twitter link) that defenseman MacKenzie Weegar is dealing with complications from the injury that caused him to miss more than a month. He had just returned on Tuesday but played just 13 minutes and then missed Thursday’s game. There’s no timetable for his return.
- Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen has been ruled out through the weekend due to his neck injury, notes TSN’s Kristen Shilton (Twitter link). Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that it’s difficult to peg a timeline for his return but that he is working through drills. In the meantime, Michael Hutchinson will serve as the backup to newcomer Jack Campbell but will likely be waived once Andersen is ready to return.