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Barring any miracles, the Colorado Avalanche (14th in the Western Conference) and Ottawa Senators (dead last in the East) are both going to miss the playoffs this season, but on Friday, they swapped goaltenders. Eight-year veteran Craig Anderson, 29, heads to Ottawa, while four-year vet Brian Elliott, 25, goes to Colorado. Like their teams, both goaltenders struggled mightily this year after good seasons a year ago.

Anderson will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, while Elliott will be a restricted free agent. Senators general manager Bryan Murray, who has made three other trades in the past week, said his team was interested in signing Anderson this offseason, so the trade basically provides the team with a free test drive.

“We get a chance for 20-some games to look and watch him and during that time period, I would think we would have discussions and see where we want to be, where he wants to be,” said Murray. “He seemed very excited when I talked to him and it’s a new opportunity for him, too.”

Anderson had a career year a season ago: 38-25-7, .917 saves percentage, 2.64 goals against average. This season, he’s just 13-5-3, .897, 3.28. Elliott is 13-19-8, .894, 3.19 this season, well below his career numbers of 59-45-15, .903, 2.81. Both guys could probably use a change of scenery.