The Montreal Canadiens traded for veteran netminder Andrew Hammond on Saturday in the hopes his presence will steady the Canadiens’ chaotic crease.
The Habs acquired Hammond from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for 26-year-old AHL winger Brandon Baddock, who has played one career NHL game, and it came earlier this season for the injury-riddled Habs.
Mike McKenna pointed out in the “Blue Paint” segment on Friday’s “Daily Faceoff Show” that the Canadiens had pulled their goaltender in five of their last six games, including Cayden Primeau after he allowed four goals in Marty St. Louis’ NHL head coaching debut on Thursday night.
That was the fourth time Primeau had been yanked in nine starts this season – not a good recipe for success or development for a once highly thought of prospect.
The Canadiens have been mired in a struggle for reliable goaltending all season, having exhausted almost all of their organizational options. Dominique Ducharme was fired on Wednesday with the Canadiens ranked 31st in save percentage at .885.
Carey Price entered the NHL’s Player Assistance program to start the season and has been rehabbing his offseason knee surgery since returning. Jake Allen is out for another month with a lower-body injury. Michael McNiven had been clamoring for an opportunity in the NHL, but he too is hurt. Samuel Montembault took the reins but he has battled through a nagging wrist injury that may require surgery still.
Other than Primeau, who has struggled without the proper support structure, the Habs didn’t have another goaltender under NHL contract they could turn to, necessitating an NHL return for “The Hamburglar.”
Hammond, 34, has played exclusively in the AHL since 2017-18. He’s been called up by the Buffalo Sabres and Wild in each of the last three seasons but did not appear in any games.
But the undrafted netminder did carry Ottawa Senators on a magical run in 2014-15 that led them to the Stanley Cup playoffs – and earned him a nickname and connected him to one of hockey’s all-time great scenes, when Sens fans littered the ice with cheeseburgers.
Hammond went on a 20-1-2 run to close out the season at a staggering .941 clip as the Sens became the first team in modern day history to erase a 14-point deficit in the standings to make the playoffs. That earned him a three-year, $4.05 million contract in Ottawa, but he was never able to regain that form.
The Canadiens aren’t looking for that run of success again, just a steady hand on the wheel in a difficult season.
More must-reads: