The Colorado Avalanche were an overtime goal away from reaching the Western Conference Finals with a former Toronto Maple Leafs back-up in net.
Over the past month, rumors have swirled about the Toronto Maple Leafs trading their number-one goaltender. With multiple teams in need of a new net-minder, the Avalanche may be the best suitor for Freddie Andersen’s duties. The last time Toronto and Colorado made a deal, it felt like a win-win for both squads. The Avalanche had a pending free agent defenseman in Tyson Barrie they didn’t want to sign long-term, while the Leafs had a third-line centre in Nazem Kadri that was too expensive.
The Leafs got the right-handed defenseman they were looking for, while the Avalanche received a reliable second-line centre who could score 30 goals. Fast-forward one year later and the Avalanche definitely won this trade. Personally, I think Barrie has been much better than the criticism he’s received, but he didn’t show up in the playoffs. Comparatively, Kadri had 18 points in 15 playoff games and looked like a player Toronto could desperately use again.
As a Kadri-fan, I’m happy to see that he’s relishing his opportunity in Colorado. At $4.5 million, he’s a steal as their second-line centre.
It’ll be interesting to see if Barrie and the Leafs reunite this off-season because with a full season under Sheldon Keefe, he could make a difference. The Leafs need a right-handed defenseman still, so at a cheap price, he could be a fit. Regardless, in today’s ‘Hypothetical Trade of the Day’, the Avalanche and Leafs strike a deal once again, as they send goalie help Colorado’s way.
Freddie Andersen Gets Traded To Rocky Mountains
The trade.
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Conor Timmins ($925K), 2020 3rd Round Pick, 2021 1st Round Pick
- Colorado Avalanche acquire: Freddie Andersen ($5M)
Timmins is a right-handed defenseman and although he’s still considered a prospect, he seems ready to crack an everyday NHL line-up. Drafted 32nd overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Timmins may have been drafted even higher if it wasn’t for a season ending concussion that forced him out of hockey for the entire 2018-19 season.
If Timmins stays healthy, there’s no doubt that he will develop into a top-four defenseman in the NHL. Although the Leafs need right-handed defense help now, there’s a good chance he would crack the team’s roster next year, if not become a regular by 2021-22.
Within this trade, the Toronto Maple Leafs would also get their 2020 third-round pick back, which they sent in the Kadri-Barrie deal, and a first-round pick because the Avalanche needs goaltending help ASAP. If Toronto can get a first-round pick for Kasperi Kapanen, they can get one for Andersen.
The Avalanche are a goaltender away from winning the Stanley Cup and Andersen could be that option for them. Instead of spending a ton of money on a Free Agent goalie they could roll the dice with Freddie for a season.
The Avalanche will need to save their money to re-sign Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog after the 2020-21 season, so trading for Andersen could be a great one-year solution for them, instead of committing to a goalie long-term.
If the Toronto Maple eafs don’t think Andersen is their goalie to start the 2021-22 season, then they should seriously consider moving him. Bank the cap-space while you can, grab some assets and find a goaltender in Free Agency. The team has let too many free agents walk without getting an asset in return, so this deal could benefit both squads.