Senators netminder Martin Gerber cleared waivers Friday, which may spell the end of what has been a very tumultuous few seasons for the Swiss-born player in Ottawa.
Gerber was sent to the Senators' AHL affiliate in Binghamton last week for a conditioning stint after recalling rookie goaltender Brian Elliot from the minors. It now appears as though Elliot will remain with the team for the rest of the year.
Senators assistant general manager Tim Murray stated that the Sens would sit down with Gerber and discuss his situation if he cleared waivers without being claimed by another team. There has been speculation that the team would attempt to loan Gerber to a European team in order to alleviate his salary cap hit.
After signing as a free agent with the Senators in 2006, Gerber was named the team's number one goaltender; however he was outplayed by his backup Ray Emery and ended up sitting on the bench as the team advanced to the Stanley Cup finals.
After Emery elected to undergo off-season surgery, Gerber was once again thrust into the number one role in Ottawa, and this time he ran with it as the Sens got off to a record start. When Emery returned the situation became tenuous and the team crumbled and went in to a free-fall that saw them barely sneak into the playoffs before being swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
This past season the Senators signed Alex Auld as a free-agent to back up Gerber, however the 34-year old struggled out of the gate as Auld seized the number one spot. With the recent recall of Brian Elliot it became apparent that Gerber's future in the NHL lies elsewhere.
