BUFFALO, N.Y. — With eight players on the Buffalo Sabres' current NHL active roster who are set to become unrestricted free agents, general manager Kevyn Adams chose to sit tight on Monday before the league's 3 p.m. trade deadline, keeping 40-year-old goalie Craig Anderson in Buffalo.
There was one place Anderson hoped to potentially go: to the Florida Panthers, who are currently at the top of the Atlantic division - primed for a deep postseason run - and also play in the Miami area, near his family.
On Tuesday, when the Sabres returned to KeyBank Center for practice after a three-game road trip in Western Canada, Anderson said he was 50/50 on the prospects of going to the Panthers and staying in Buffalo.
"If something made sense, you know, it would have would have been done," Anderson said, discussing his conversations with Adams ahead of the deadline.
"I would've been able to go home and potentially, you know, do something deep in the playoffs and be part of something, but also I'm glad to be here as well to be part of this growth that we're having right now... The Buffalo Sabres want me as their goaltender right now and that, emotionally, is reassuring and something to be enthusiastic about."
Anderson said he is thankful to be in a starting role in Buffalo and that he was able to hit his personal goal of winning 300 career games this season on March 10 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
"I thank Kevyn (Adams) every time I see him for the opportunity to chase my dream of continuing to play to get to 300," Anderson said.
"I felt that (Don Granato) wanted to get the 300 more than I did, and... that says everything to me, that he's got that much care for the players that he has around. I think he's shown that to all the guys that are in that room."
Granato joked "every win for him is a win for us," but said he was excited to be a part of that moment in Anderson's career and is thrilled to have him throughout the rest of the season.
"For us to have lost Craig at this point would disrupt its really the potential of disrupting what he brought... He's been a solid guy for us and a stabilizing guy, and we've had ups and downs like every team," Granato said.
"He's walked the walk. So when he talks it, there's a presence there... He speaks and you see it and feel a foundation of ups and downs."
Now Granato is ready for the Sabres to continue building over the final 19 games of the season with the stress of the trade deadline behind them.