The 41-year-old goalie was 17-12-2 with a 3.12 goals-against average and .897 save percentage in 31 games for the Sabres this season. He could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 13.
"I have a lot of respect for Craig … I think he had a big influence in our locker room in terms of being a player that's done a lot in this league, but also being a player that gets up every day and works to get better and takes care of himself," Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. "You look at our young team but especially our young 'D' corps, I do think it's very important to have someone that there's some stability in terms of the presence and what he brings."
Selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the third round (No. 73) of the 2001 NHL Draft, Anderson is 308-264-69 with two ties, a 2.85 GAA, .912 save percentage and 42 shutouts in 683 regular-season games (645 starts) for the Sabres, Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and Blackhawks.
Anderson is 24-23 with a 2.36 GAA, .929 save percentage and four shutouts in 48 Stanley Cup Playoff games (47 starts).
"It says a lot about Craig and his family and also how he feels about the coaching staff, the players, the organization because, you know, I don't know if this time last year if he thought maybe this could be one year," Adams said. "I think he had fun and he sees something special building. He actually even said to me, 'In all my years of playing, I don't know if I've enjoyed myself more than I did last year.' So, yeah, we're excited and we'll just keep working on what's next."
Anderson, who missed three months with an upper-body injury, was one of six goalies the Sabes used this season. Dustin Tokarski played 29 games but was out for two months with a COVID-19 related illness; Aaron Dell played 12 games; Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played nine games, but dealt with a lower-body injury; Malcom Subban, who was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 2, played four games before he was ruled out for the season with an upper-body injury; and Michael Houser played two games.
Each of those goalies can become an unrestricted or restricted free agent on July 13, meaning Anderson is the only one on the roster under contract through next season.
"You want to put yourself in the best position you can," Adams said. "You make the best decisions you can. You try to prepare for scenarios where you may end up being in that situation. But at one time last year when you're on number five and six, it's tough."
Adams also did not rule out making a move for a goalie.
"We have to be open to every possible scenario, which we are," he said. "You look at some of the potential trade partners around the league or if you look at some of the goalies that could be on the market, they come at a high price. … We're going to do what we think is right for our team and our organization now, balancing the future and the long term and everything like that."
NHL.com independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report
