There have been plenty of breakout stories early in the NHL season but none more surprising than the form of Colorado Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson.
Anderson was always considered a journeyman backup in net until a decent effort in Florida last season when he took over the reins from an injured Tomas Vokoun and secured a 15-7 record in 31 games, 27 of which were starts.
He became a free agent at the end of 2008-9 but was not picked up all that quickly, leading some to suggest all he would get would be a one-year deal to backup a star somewhere else.
But the Avalanche saw something different, and given their problems in goal last year (as well as all over the ice to be honest) picked up the 28-year-old, originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks and a star in the AHL for Rochester.
A $3.6m deal over two years was enough to secure him, and what a piece of shrewd business that looks after the first six weeks of the new campaign with the Avalanche sitting joint top of the Western Conference with big-spending San Jose.
Anderson set franchise goaltending records in October for wins (10), and was among the league leaders in all of the significant statistical categories as he bore the weight of the club on his back in the absence of the injured and then ill Peter Budaj, who has at time of writing started only one game.
Although Anderson’s performance has dropped off a little in the last three games (two of them defeats) he remains on top form overall, and has faced more shots than any other goaltender in the league, allowing him a little wiggle room when it comes to possibly being a little tired!!
Add in some surprise performances at the other end of the rink, where Ryan O’Reilly has 14 points in 17 games and David Jones has five goals, and suddenly people in Denver are beginning to, as far as NHL picks go, believe in a club that had become a bit of a laughing stock in the last couple of seasons.
Will it last? Well, we will find out over the next couple of months when these surprise players will have to continue to perform if they are to first get to the postseason and then make a lengthy run. World Series? Maybe not, but the shoots of a recovery are certainly showing.
