The Minnesota Wild announced on Twitter on Wednesday that goaltender Andrew Hammond signed a one-year, two-way deal. In that same announcement, they announced that goaltender Alex Stalock was injured and out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.
The #mnwild has signed goaltender Andrew Hammond to a one-year, two-way contract.
In addition, the team announced that goaltender Alex Stalock is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.
🗞 » https://t.co/WT1nrqohR7 pic.twitter.com/Pfk5FL7saD
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 16, 2020
Alex Stalock Injured, Andrew Hammond Signs
Andrew Hammond has been a career two-way goalie, with both NHL and AHL experience. Last season with the Colorado Avalanche, Hammond played one game, made 31 saves, let in two goals, and lost. With the Rochester Americans in the AHL last season, Hammond played 33 games, ending with a 16-12-5 record, allowing an average of 2.53 pucks past him per game, and an overall save percentage of .908. In his 56 games total in the big leagues, he’s posted a 27-15-6 record through 49 starts, with a 2.31 GAA and a .923 save percentage.
Stalock’s injury occurred during the offseason, as he finished through the playoffs last season. In that series against the Vancouver Canucks, Stalock was underperforming. Through four games, he ended with a 1-3 record, .897 save percentage, 3.03 GAA, and a -2.33 goals saved above average. While he wasn’t the most consistent goalie, he was fairly reliable during the regular season. Splitting time with Devan Dubnyk, he started 36 games, with a 20-11-4 record, along with a .910 save percentage, 2.67 GAA, and a quality start percentage of 52.8%. While these numbers are all about league average, and Stalock rarely did anything flashy in the goal crease, he was a solid option for the Wild.
What This Means for the Future
With Alex Stalock injured and Dubnyk traded to the San Jose Sharks, the Wild are without a second proven NHL starter. Hammond has been putting up good numbers in the AHL, but rarely do AHL goalies transition seamlessly to the big leagues. He will need some time to develop, and this will likely result in a rocky start for the Wild if Cam Talbot can’t hold the fort. Talbot will get the majority of the starts right away.
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