Anderson Situation

[GoalieGuild]

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2011...-reasons/6449/

It's not in my nature to speculate on what is going on here, but I do know that things are so bad in Colorado that Anderson's tenure down here most likely won't extend beyond this season. Not saying he's going to be suddenly traded or anything like that, but I seriously doubt the Avs re-sign him. I guess he could be traded though...who knows.

Usually "personal leaves" are for deaths in the family or a real serious sickness. But Dater mentions it's nothing serious. So what is serious enough to cause Anderson to take a personal leave, but not serious enough for Dater to say what he said?

Does anyone remember like....almost 2 years ago when I wrote a personal blog about my interaction with Anderson at that charity hockey event? It was in May of the season before Anderson signed with the Avs ... like he signed on the first day of free agency maybe 2-3 weeks after that event. Anyone remember that?

This whole thing is REALLY weird. And I only say that because of the timing. He was pulled in a game after giving up three goals, but only one of them was his fault. And the Avs were only down 3-1 at the time. It was still a game.

[ericdaoust]

I vaguely remember your Anderson story, about him promising you something and then bailing. I might be wrong but I know I'm on the right page somewhere.

The leave could be a situation similar to Alex Kovalev in his final season in Montreal. He was a distraction and the team told him to go home for a couple days. Or it could be a totally valid reason in Anderson's case.

[SaudiAvsFan]

First i thank for opening up this matter for discussion.

Since it's been assured that Andy's leave is nothing serious, then he's probably taking time for self-reflection. After all, he played A-grade hockey last season while this season...well you know. Just try to put yourself into his mindset. This was the second time in which he was pulled after being scored on three times.

I can't speculate if his injuries this season had anything to do with his malfunction. I think he's trying to take the time and really see what's going on, find the problem and deal with it. He wouldn't have been able to if he had to train for games every two or three days. Sure he had the All-Star break off, but he probably utilized it as a break, by then he didn't think he had a great problem until now.

[GoalieGuild]

I could understand both of those points.

If I played as well as he did a year ago, a year where my head coach started me regardless of a win or a loss, and even on back-to-back nights, especially down the stretch, I would want to hold myself accountable for being able to play up to that level this year.

And I wouldn't necessarily be happy about getting pulled in a 3-1 game where only one of the goals was my fault.

And I wouldn't be happy at all about being benched after every loss, especially when I have absolutely no defensive help in front of me and little offensive help as well.

You guys are probably right - he could just need to get away from the craziness for a few days. And that's a legit reason to take a few personal days off.

But is that the right attitude to have on such a crucial road trip?

[SaudiAvsFan]

He probably made this decision in hopes that the Avs don't lose more in this crucial road trip. I don't know whether he thought the team might benefit from a change, but that he probably considered he might drag the team down, and that he won't play until he feels confident and closes any issues plaguing him.

[GoalieGuild]

That doesn't seem like the kind of Anderson we have seen over the last year and a half. He's a fierce competitor and wants to play every single game, regardless if he's playing well or struggling. And he's actually been playing relatively well the last month...just no help in front of him.

Why would he head home halfway through a four-game road trip when he already knew that Budaj was going to start on Friday? Dater tweeted that Budaj was starting I believe early this afternoon. Anderson should have been backing him up tomorrow, doing whatever he can to help his team win.

Of course we can only speculate on the true reasons for Anderson's decision to leave the team ... but when you hear all of these rumors about the team not clicking in the lockerroom and having no chemistry whatsoever, we're all led o think, from what we read on Dater's blog that it's something not-so-positive.

[ericdaoust]

But is that the right attitude to have on such a crucial road trip?

Absolutely not the right attitude. He's a UFA in under 6 months and he needs to make a good impression for other teams, since re-signing in Colorado is not assured at this point. The goalie market is dry so he needs every advantage he can get to win a favorable contract/situation for next season. Obviously we don't know all the details but if he doesn't come back strong reflects very poorly on him IMO.

[GoalieGuild]

That would be along the lines of my exact sentiments.

[SaudiAvsFan]

On the surface it would look bad, but again I say think of what he's going through. I'm not defending his action, but I'm thinking doing something drastic like that could mean he is feeling pretty unconfident and wouldn't do any good to his team or any other one. But that's just me.

[SeaDawg]

I completely missed this discussion. I posted something about Anderson's situation in the Goalie thread and was surprised by the lack of discussion on the topic. I don't even think that Dobber or Angus have mentioned in the ramblings that Anderson left the team for personal reasons.

I know we have no idea what is going on with him, but to me this is BIG news. A pending UFA goalie on a team battling for a playoff berth leaves his team in the middle of a 4-game road trip for apparently "not so serious" personal reasons??

This followed today by Forsberg retiring really makes me wonder wtf is going on in Colorado. Did Forsberg decide to retire because the team is in complete turmoil and he wants no part of it? Did mgmt beg Forsberg to sign on in hopes that his mature presence and leadership would improve moral in the dressing room, but ultimately Forsberg (after only two games) said to hell with it?

Of course I am completely speculating, but if I were a Colorado fan I'd be quite upset right now and I'd be looking for answers. There are far too many off-ice distractions and rumors circulating and someone needs to get this team straightened out.

Going back to Anderson, regardless of the reasons for his leave, I personally feel that the likelihood of him re-signing in Colorado is now very small and that makes me wonder what Colorado will do with their goal-tending in the off-season and also makes me wonder which team will sign Anderson. These are huge fantasy implications to consider. And what does this mean for Calvin Pickard? Does he get a shot sooner than later now?

I'm just shocked this whole situation isn't being discussed more.

[GoalieGuild]

I think the Avs have always been pretty "tight-lipped" by these situations.

I am going to the Avs game tonight and will try to learn more. One thing I heard was that it was indeed a family situation of sorts, but nothing serious like a death in the family.

If that's true, of course I respect his personal decision and of course hope for the best and that he is OK and that everything gets taken care of. Sometimes the timing isn't the best but you always gotta take care of family first.

But I also heard that he was re-joining the team today. But Peter Budaj has been announced as the starter.

All we can do is speculate. It very well may have been a family issue that needed his sudden attention. It very well may have been something else in regards to the team.

Either way, I don't see the Avalanche re-signing him. And I'm not so sure Anderson, or any goalie, would really want to be a part of what's happening with the team. Sacco seems to have lost his grip on the team. I never like seeing this "blanket" philosophy where he just randomly benches or scratches guys just because they don't perform up to expectations. You can't just fall back on that and expect players to respond. After a while, they'll tune you out. I think it's similar to what has happened in Ottawa this year??

I am merely speculating. I have no idea what's really going on. Colorado is a weak market and only has one beat reporter that can shed light on these things, and he hasn't had anything to say on the Anderson situation, other than the fact he left the team for "personal reasons" and tweeted it wasn't serious. That's all I know. So I speculate and wonder.