Which Version of Andersen Will the Toronto Maple Leafs See This Post-Season?

If the proposed plan for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs is finalized, the Toronto Maple Leafs will need to see strength in their net if they expect any success as a team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are better with Frederik Andersen as part of the organization. Their overall numbers since he joined them illustrate that. And watching the confidence he gives his teammates in front of him proves it.

With each new year comes a fresh foundation to build from, where locker rooms look to set the stage for victory celebrations well beyond the regular season.

Unfortunately, in the four years that Andersen has been on the Toronto Maple Leafs, successful starts haven’t been part of his pattern.

Predictable Starts With Every Season

Fans have gotten accustomed to seeing a less than spectacular version of the goalie in October, as he warms his way into November and begins to showcase the types of performances he’s capable of.

This has been a consistent pattern since he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2016-17 season, so it’s become an easy one to assume.

2016-17 Monthly Stats

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2017-18 Monthly Stats

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2018-19 Monthly Stats

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2019-20 Monthly Stats

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Once Andersen finds his mid-season form, he and his teammates are all the better for it.

With his help, Toronto has made the playoffs in each year he’s been with them. However, in every attempt thus far, they have failed to get past the First Round.

In the 2017 playoffs, Toronto wasn’t expected to do much. So their two wins throughout a six-game series with the Washington Capitals was enough to fuel fans for the following season.

2018 presented a different picture, as this team had shown their talent throughout the league. Although they forced a Game 7 against the Boston Bruins, they were on the losing side of it.

As the 2019 post-season came into view, the Maple Leafs would have a chance at redemption against the Bruins. They not only failed to close out the series in Game 6, but they lost Game 7 yet again.

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Andersen illustrated an all too familiar pattern throughout Toronto‘s last two playoff runs. He started each with a less than stellar performance and only got into his more formidable form as the round continued.

Then came the Game 7 situations, where it mattered most, and it seemed his play reverted back to the beginning of the cycle. His numbers and the team’s results paid the price in 2018 and 2019.

The proposed plan for the 2020 playoffs provides an opportunity for a more mature and established Toronto team to prove their abilities. And it all starts between their pipes.

Ultimately, if the Toronto Maple Leafs want to see success this post-season, they need Andersen to be in top form from the first puck drop. He’ll need that of the players in front of him, too.

Of course, there are times when teammates are forced to compensate for the lack of play from others in their lineup. But that’s not something that should be planned for, it’s simply a byproduct of successful teams.

If the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs proceed as scheduled, and the Toronto Maple Leafs expect to achieve any success throughout them, they need Frederik Andersen to play like it’s November the whole way through.