Craig Anderson To Take Leave Of Absence From Senators

The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton reports that Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson will take a leave of absence from the Sens indefinitely. The team released a statement via their website, and general manager Pierre Dorion said that Anderson has the club’s full support:

“While we are uncertain of how long Craig may be away, he will continue to have our support for as much time as is needed,” Senators GM Pierre Dorion said in a release. “We will respect his privacy and will have no further comment at this time.”

The announcement from the 35-year-old netminder was unexpected. CBC, along with Clinton, reports that a reason was not provided by the Senators for Anderson’s sudden departure. In his place, the Sens have called up Chris Driedger from Binghamton.

The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that it’s the second time in a month that Anderson has left the club due to personal reasons. But like the other two outlets, Garrioch reports that there is no timetable for his return. Andrew Hammond becomes the number one goalie in his absence.

Anderson was fresh off a shutout Tuesday evening against Vancouver with a 22 save performance. In six games, Anderson was 4-1-0 with a .903 save percentage.