The Toronto Maple Leafs may be considering the future of Frederik Andersen and Darcy Kuemper would be the perfect replacement for him.
With just one year remaining on his contract, Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen may have played his last game for the team and could find himself traded away to acquire picks and assets that can help the team build up their blueline.
Losing Anderson would be disappointing as he is a popular player both within the locker room as well as with the fan base but being an unrestricted free agent next year and expecting a pay rise above his current $5 million per season puts the Leafs in a tough position.
If the Danish goalie’s time in Toronto truly is coming to an end then general manager Kyle Dubas absolutely must look into the possibility of trading for current Arizona Coyotes starter Darcy Kuemper.
Why Darcy Kuemper Makes Sense
It’s not often that teams allow their starting goaltender to leave, far less common is two teams doing it and potentially helping each other out in this regard. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, trading Andersen will likely land them picks or assets but leaves them with a hole at the starting position – something the Coyotes surprisingly seem able to help with after their recent sanctions from the NHL.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, with the Coyotes losing a 2020 second and 2021 first-round pick, it seems that they are now considering the possibility of parting with Kuemper, who has been nothing short of spectacular since arriving in the desert.
Over the past two seasons, when healthy, Kuemper has shown himself to be a goaltender worthy of consideration for the Vezina – where he finished fifth in voting at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.
While limited to just 29 regular-season games this season, his impact was noticeable for the Coyotes, who sat atop the Pacific Division prior to Christmas and his injury, but were almost firmly out of the playoff hunt by the end of the season.
During his 29-game stretch, Kuemper had exceptional individual statistics. Holding a 16-11-2 record with a 2.22 goals-against average and a save percentage of .928 with two shutouts.
Across his entire career with the Coyotes, Kuemper has played in 94 regular-season games, with a combined record of 45-37-12, a goals-against average of 2.39 and a save percentage of .923 – exceptional numbers while playing behind a team that struggles to generate offence. (Stats via Hockey Reference)
With the playoffs delayed to the summer due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the Coyotes had a shot at reaching the first round thanks to the expanded 24-team format. Matched up against the Nashville Predators, the Coyotes secured a surprisingly impressive 3-1 best-of-five series win and the largest reason for the team’s progression into the first round was Kuemper.
Unfortunately for him, standing on his head in the qualifying round wasn’t rewarded against the Colorado Avalanche, who tore the Coyotes defense apart and showed the clear weaknesses in their offence – leading to back-to-back 7-1 losses and Kuemper being pulled in both of those games.
What also helps the Toronto Maple Leafs with Kuemper, is his lower cap hit than Andersen while also having an additional year on his contract. The Coyotes signed an extension with Kuemper that kicks in next season, seeing him earn an AAV of $4.5 million ($3.5m in year one and $5.5m in year two), half a million less than Andersen.
Having a goaltender of Kuemper’s ability locked up for two years at a cheaper cost than their current starter should be something that greatly appeals to the Leafs, especially as they’ll be putting him in front of a far more capable offensive team.
Kuemper has demonstrated that he can stand on his head to save games and having a stronger offence take the pressure off his shoulders could see the Leafs get the very best goaltender available in a trade this off-season if they look to pursue him.
Vezina-level goaltenders don’t come around very often in trades and the Toronto Maple Leafs really can’t afford to let him join another team if they are set on moving on from Andersen, opening up some cap space while arguably landing the better goaltender in the long-run.