Toronto Maple Leafs Should Not Re-Sign Frederik Andersen

The Toronto Maple Leafs are at a crossroads this season for many reasons but it is Frederik Andersen that proves to be the biggest conundrum that faces the Leafs brass.

It may feel a bit ridiculous to be talking about the offseason just 10 games into the new season, but the unrestricted free agent status of Frederik Andersen looms large. He isn’t the only one, with the Toronto Maple Leafs slated to see Zach Hyman hit UFA status as well, along with a few one-year additions in the shape of Zach Bogosian, Wayne Simmonds and Mikko Lehtonen.

It’s not beyond the imagination to think that this may be the last year we see Frederik Andersen in Leafs blue, and that may not be the worst thing.

This is not a case for trading him away by any means. If the Maple Leafs wanted to do that they should have moved in the off season when there were plenty of goalies moving around and he would have been the pick of the bunch.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Freddie Andersen

However, in these first games of this condensed season we have seen the best and the worst of the Dane. Sharp performances against the likes of Calgary and Winnipeg are great but never too far away from frankly abysmal showings against the Canadiens and Senators.

It is a pattern that repeats itself, with only which team gets which Andersen changing.

At 31, Andersen should be right in his prime. While he has certainly been one of the best Leafs since his arrival – likely the standout player some seasons – it feels like he has been on a downward trend, albeit a very gradual one, since the last playoff loss to Boston.

Injuries haven’t helped. A number of “upper body injuries” like the one suffered towards the end of last season have hindered excellent runs of form. Too often Leafs fans are seeing the patchy Andersen and flashes of brilliance rather than a show-stopping Andersen with patchy missteps.

The Leafs are at a critical juncture with their current crop of players. Morgan Rielly is right in his prime while Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander are right at the start of theirs and John Tavares is already at the point where his best seasons are mostly likely behind him.

Andersen’s play used to match that of the aforementioned players but unfortunately it looks as if injuries, and just the sheer amount of work he has had to put in in his early years as a Leaf, has taken a toll on him.

The Dane has played so well for the Leafs since he came to the organization that he, and it cannot be stressed enough, deservedly so will get a raise from the $5 million he makes a year. Yet watching Andersen play does not feel like watching Carey Price or Marc Andre Fleury play as they have aged. Andersen has it in him to be an excellent starting goalie but his next years should not be with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will undoubtedly make the most of the Dane goalie this year but with a more than capable – although currently injured – Jack Campbell signed through next year the Leafs can take a gander to what looks to be a very deep UFA goaltending class.

While names like Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne and Devan Dubnyk are all well-known UFAs at the end of this season, there are also the likes of Phillip Grubauer, Petr Mrazek and Jaroslav Halak. Those last three all make roughly $2 million less than Andersen and can easily run as a 1A-1B option with Jack Campbell.

It may not be an ideal situation, running a team trying to win the Stanley Cup without an undisputed No.1 between the pipes, but so far that hasn’t done all that much for the Leafs. Why not try something new?

Plus, with the perpetual cap crunch the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in and the raise Andersen will surely ask for, combined with his downward trend and worsening stat line, the Leafs moving on from the Danish netminder is the best for everyone.