According to the Denver Post's Adrian Dater, Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson has left the team on the road and is back in Denver. This is being called a "personal leave of absence" as Anderson is not injured. On his Twitter page, Dater calls it a "minor personal matter" and "not a big deal." This is not a precursor to a trade. In a separate blog post, Dater offers some good advice, for the moment, that Anderson deserves some privacy in this matter.
Anderson's 2010-2011 season has been a disappointment following his 2009-2010 performance. Anderson is 13-15-3 with a 3.19 goals against average this season. He missed several weeks earlier in the season when he injured his knee. Anderson will be a free agent this offseason.
Peter Budaj will take over the starting goalie gig until Anderson returns. John Grahame has been recalled from the Lake Erie Monsters to serve as Budaj's backup.