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Since his magical run with the Senators in 2014-15, Hammond has failed to make any real impact at the NHL level, appearing in just 31 combined games over the last three seasons. Following a one-year stop in Denver, Hammond has moved on to the Wild and will compete in training camp with Alex Stalock for the backup gig behind Devan Dubnyk. Regardless of how Hammond fares in the competition, Dubnyk remains the clear No.1 for Minnesota after starting 60 contests for the Wild last season despite missing some time in late December due to injury. Hammond and Stalock will essentially be fighting for scraps in net and the right to take over the lead role should Dubnyk suffer an injury.
Hammond struggled in limited action with the big club last season, posting an 0-2-0 record while registering an ugly 4.08 GAA and .837 save percentage over six appearances. The 29-year-old backstop wasn't much better in the minors, compiling a 2-3-0 record while posting a subpar 3.24 GAA and .884 save percentage over five appearances. Mike Condon will serve as starter Craig Anderson’s backup next season, which means Hammond will likely slot in as AHL Belleville’s starter. In other words, barring major injuries ahead of him, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Hammond has any value in season-long fantasy leagues in 2017-18.
The 28-year-old Hammond unsurprisingly hit a steep decline after a magical run in 2014-15, appearing in 24 games and compiling a 7-11-4 record with a .914 save percentage and 2.65 GAA. Craig Anderson held onto the No. 1 role and didn't exactly take a star turn, but still made 60 starts and never feared a Hamburglar takeover. Indeed, Hammond looked downright awful a number of times, ensuring that he never even approached making inroads on Anderson's job despite the veteran's mediocrity. The B.C. native is cemented as the backup heading into 2016-17, leaving him off the radar in most fantasy formats.
Entering last year, few even among Senators fans knew the name of the man they would come to call The Hamburglar. But after his spectacular turn down the stretch -- the 20-1-2 run with a 1.79 GAA and .941 save percentage by a 26-year-old rookie was one for the history books -- everyone knows Hammond's name now. The Sens signed Hammond to a three-year extension, and now we'll see if last season was a flash in the pan. There are signs that that's exactly what it was -- Hammond had an awful .898 save percentage in the AHL last year, and he'd never posted a mark higher than .917 at any level of hockey, so it shouldn't have been too surprising when he finally faded in the playoffs, ceding the starting job back to Craig Anderson. The veteran Anderson projects to remain atop the depth chart to open the 2015-16 campaign, so Hammond's going to have to outperform him once more to earn fantasy-relevant playing time.
Hammond will enter 2014-15 as the number one netminder for AHL Binghamton once again, and with Craig Anderson and newly-signed Robin Lehner above him in the NHL, he won't get recalled unless there's an injury. Considering he wasn't exactly stellar in the minors last season (2.81 GAA, .910 save percentage in 48 appearances), it's probably not worth monitoring his play too much.
Hammond will make the jump to the pros this season, after spending the last four years playing college hockey for Bowling Green State University of the CCHA. The young goaltender put up decent stats during his senior season, posting a save percentage of .917 and a 2.47 GAA. Nevertheless, he'll need to prove himself in the AHL before ever getting a chance to make an impact in the NHL.
