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Top 10 Best Trades in Toronto Maple Leafs History

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 7: Ondrej Kase #25 of the Anaheim Ducks battles against Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 7, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 7: Ondrej Kase #25 of the Anaheim Ducks battles against Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 7, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /

#9. Leafs Get Freddie Andersen From Anaheim

The Trade:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Freddie Andersen
  • Anaheim Ducks acquire: 2016 First Round Pick (Sam Steel) and 2017 Second Round Pick (Maxime Comtois)

Sam Steel and Maxime Comtois are turning into full-time NHL players, but they’re not a top-10 goaltender in the league. And that’s exactly what Freddie Andersen is. I can understand the criticism towards Andersen over his tenure in Toronto, but I’m a supporter.

Sure, he hasn’t won a playoff series, but have you seen the defense in front of him? It’s absolutely brutal. I’m going more on eye-test than numbers right now, but if you watch Andersen play, you can understand that he’s a good goalie, just based on his poise.

The best goalies in the game have this calmness about them and the best way to describe it, is that it’s the complete opposite of Reimer. When you watched Reimer play, he looked like a road-hockey goalie at times. Sure, he could make a few saves when he needed, but it was absolute chaos and terrifying to watch as a fan.

With Freddie Andersen, you don’t see this. If a goal goes in, it’s usually because of a defensive breakdown. He’s completely stoic, just like Carey Price. He may not be as talented as Price, but he has that same composure that’s hard to teach.

Overall, the Leafs barely gave anything up in exchange for a number-one goalie and Lou Lamoriello deserves a ton of credit for making this deal.

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