Two days after avoiding serious injury, Frederik Andersen was announced as the starting goaltender tonight for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This should not be happening. Andersen is the bedrock upon which the Toronto Maple Leafs have been built. He is, in every sense of the term, precious cargo. Where he goes, so does the team.
Frederik Andersen starts tonight vs. Nashville.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 7, 2018
So, why not give him the night off?
If the team’s long-term ambitions rest on Andersen’s shoulders, it might be beneficial for those shoulders to be as fresh as possible when the playoffs roll around.
Yes, tonight’s contest is against the red-hot Nashville Predators.
The game will surely be a thrilling matchup, but it’s not a crucial one. Toronto’s playoff spot is cushioned by a whopping 15 point lead on the next closest Atlantic Division team.
If the outcome of this game had devastating implications on the playoff picture, Andersen returning would be a no-brainer.
Only, that’s just not the case.
Depth
This is a drum I’ve beaten all season long, but the Leafs currently possess two NHL-calibre goaltenders who are plying their craft a mere 20 minutes down the road.
Garret Sparks and Calvin Pickard have both been historically dominant for the Marlies this season. As a duo, they pace the entire AHL in save percentage, goals against average, and wins.
Both players have, without question, earned the right to an extended call-up. And with Andersen’s health up for debate, there’s no better time to make that happen than the present.
What’s the point of harbouring outstanding depth at the goaltending position if you repeatedly refuse to use it?
According to HockeyReference, Andersen has started more games, faced more shots, made more saves and logged more minutes than any other netminder in the entire NHL this season. No matter how you look at it, that is absolutely absurd.
I don’t care if you’re RoboCop, a workload that heavy is simply unsustainable.
Come playoff time, I’d be a heck of a lot more confident in Toronto’s chances if their most important player was healthy and rested.
Options
Last season, the weight of Andersen’s workload was understandable.
Jhonas Enroth (remember him?) was a disaster, Antoine Bibeau clearly wasn’t an NHL goaltender, and Curtis McElhinney was erratic at the best of times. The Leafs frankly didn’t have an option between the pipes that they felt comfortable sending out there unless back-to-backs forced their hand.
Well, a lot can change in a year.
McElhinney has now proven to be an above average NHL backup, while Sparks and Pickard are destroying the AHL. Andersen is no longer the lone option in net.
So, when he gets kicked in the head by a human-sized rat on skates, the Leafs have the ability to rest him for a game or two without a significant dropoff in performance.
Next: Marlies Notebook: (Un)Arrested Development
Come April, a healthy Freddy will be this team’s most lethal weapon.