The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a great start to their 2020-21 campaign, but it’s never too early to start thinking about next year.
One of the biggest question-marks heading into the 2021 off-season is whether or not the team will re-sign Zach Hyman or Freddie Andersen. Although both players have yet to help this team get over the hump, they’ve played a key role in their regular season success and quick rebuild.
Andersen always seems to get ridiculed for the soft goals he allows and the playoff debacles, but he’s still a legitimate top-10 goaltender in the NHL when he’s at his best.
Hyman on the other hand is the glue-guy and has shown his versatility once again after Joe Thornton got injured. Having the ability to play on the top-line or a shutdown role on the third-line is a great attribute and it’s not something every player can excel at.
If the Leafs want these players to be part of their future, are they wasting an opportunity by not re-signing them already? I know I mentioned that Hyman is a great role player and Andersen is a number-one goaltender, but their stats aren’t glowing through the first 10 games.
Hyman has two goals and two assists, while Andersen has a 3.01 GAA and 0.892 SV%. Both of those stats for Steady Freddie put him near the 40th best in the NHL, despite being second in wins (via: NHL.com)
Andersen has had some timely saves, but with the pandemic effecting the salary cap and his statistics being below average, it could be an opportunity to get him at a discount. The same thing goes for Hyman.
Toronto Maple Leafs Won’t Re-Sign Andersen or Hyman
If you were hoping that the Toronto Maple Leafs would re-sign Andersen or Hyman, it’s not going to happen anytime soon and here’s the reason why: Seattle Kraken.
If Toronto re-signed Andersen or Hyman today, it would limit their ability to keep their roster intact for the 2021-22 season. The Expansion Rules insist that you can keep a total of eight players (any number of forwards or defensemen) or seven forwards and three defensemen, plus a goalie in both situations.
By re-signing Andersen now, the Leafs would obviously protect him, which would expose Jack Campbell to Seattle. Instead, by leaving Andersen unsigned, the Leafs can protect Campbell, expose Michael Hutchinson (who’s under contract until 2021-22) and then revisit the Andersen negotiations after the Expansion Draft.
A similar thing would happen with Hyman, because if they re-signed him tomorrow, the Leafs would have to go with the Seven Forwards and Three Defensemen strategy. They’d keep Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, Alex Kerfoot, most likely Joey Anderson and Hyman. This would expose Adam Brooks, Pierre Engvall, Travis Dermott and Justin Holl.
By waiting on Hyman, they could instead compile a strategy of four forwards and four defensemen, guaranteeing they keep Justin Holl. With Travis Dermott scheduled to be an RFA, Toronto could re-sign him during arbitration to expose him to Seattle, or potentially re-sign Zach Bogosian early and expose him. Both situations would be better than having to expose Justin Holl, who’s playing at an extremely high level.
Although Toronto isn’t going to re-sign Hyman or Andersen soon, it doesn’t mean they won’t be part of the future. The 2021-22 books are going to be tight but if both players want to stay and win as members of the Toronto Maple Leafs, they may be able to get them for less than expected. However, we’ll have to wait a few months to better understand what their number will be.