Ottawa Senators back-up goaltender Andrew Hammond doesn’t appear close to returning to the lineup.
Hammond has been on injured reserve since November 15 when he took a puck to the mask during practice and was shelved with an undisclosed injury. Senators coach Dave Cameron told media on Monday that Hammond has “stalled” in his recovery process, according to TSN’s Ian Mendes.
Prior to that puck in the helmet, Hammond took a couple other shots to the mask in a November 12 game against the Vancouver Canucks, the last game he played in before going onto injured reserve.
Knowing that he took a few shots to the head and that he has an injury that can “stall,” there’s some evidence there that this could be a concussion, though the team has not disclosed what the injury is.
The Senators recalled Chris Driedger from Binghampton on Monday and reassigned college free agent signee Matt O’Connor to the AHL. Craig Anderson will start against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.