Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Goalies That Should Replace Freddie Andersen
Freddie Andersen is set to become a free agent this offseason, so instead of letting him walk for free and potentially costing the Toronto Maple Leafs a Stanley Cup, maybe they should move on?
When Andersen is playing is “A-game,” he’s a top-10 goaltender in the NHL. His calm demeanor rivals Carey Price, but just like his North Division counterpart, both netminders haven’t been up to standard in a while. The Tororonto Maple Leafs can do better.
Trading, or trading for, a goaltender is the hardest thing to do in the NHL. Team’s rarely move their starting goaltender and when they do, it’s usually past their prime. Currently making $5M per season, it’s hard to find much better value than that contract heading into the NHL Trade Deadline.
Although the value is great, Andersen has been pretty mediocre this season. In year’s past, you could always argue that the defense in front of Freddie was abysmal and he was doing much better than his stats would show. However, this season, his stats are even worse than normal with a much improved defense.
The Leafs don’t need Andersen to be a Vezina Trophy type of netminder every night to win games. Toronto currently leads the NHL in Goals For, so a “good” performance from their goalie every night should help them secure the win.
Andersen has a 2.86 GAA, .900 Sv% and 13-7-2 record this year. Michael Hutchinson and Jack Campbell have a combined 1.86 GAA, 0.937 Sv% and 6-2-0 record when in net. (nhl.com).
I know the sample size is 14 fewer games with their back-up’s, but that’s a huge jump. Maybe the Leafs play harder when their back-up is in net because they don’t trust them like Andersen, but whatever the reasoning is, something has to change.
Although the core-four and offense needs to shine when the playoffs start, this team will only go as far as their goaltender takes them. It’s rare that a team will make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, or even win, without above-average goaltending. If Andersen doesn’t bring his best self in May, then he can say goodbye to an extension in Toronto or a big-time payday somewhere else.
Toronto has a limited window to win a Stanley Cup and Andersen could be getting in their way. As such, it may be time to trade him before the Deadline, acquire an asset and move on. That’s a bold move to make mid-season, but it could shake the dressing room up and show the team that they’re not messing around this year.
Here are three goalies that could replace Andersen as the starter heading into the playoffs.
No. 3: Jack Campbell
Campbell is like having to wait until after dinner to eat desert. You continue to fight through the overcooked steak and mountain of vegetables knowing that you get to finally eat that delicious chocolate cake.
If you’re wondering, Michael Hutchinson is the overcooked steak and Freddie Andersen is the mountain of vegetables. Although Campbell hasn’t proved himself as a true No. 1, or main entre, he’s the light at the end of the tunnel for Leafs fans.
He’s only appeared in three games this year, but in that limited action, he’s been brilliant. With a 3-0 record, with one shutout and only four goals allowed, he’s showing the team that he can be a No. 1 goalie. The one issue though is that every time he goes in net, he seems to get injured.
If Campbell was healthy all season, we may be talking about Toronto differently. Andersen could have been much more rested and it’s possible that his record and stats could have improved because of it. Instead, just like most of the last five years, Andersen is playing too many games and they don’t have a sustainable back-up.
Although he hasn’t played a ton, Campbell has shown enough that he can be a No. 1 goalie. The only thing stopping him is his health. If he can get healthy before the NHL Trade Deadline and show Toronto that he can actually stay in the lineup, then Andersen may have to take a seat.
This wouldn’t the first time a potential Stanley Cup winner ran with a “back-up” heading into the playoffs. In fact, it’s happened often with Mat Murray in Pittsburgh and Jordan Binnington in St. Louis. Even going back to Carolina’s Stanley Cup victory, it happened with Cam Ward.
If he Campbell stays healthy, he has the potential of being another story like those three and convincing all of Toronto that they shouldn’t re-sign Andersen next year.
No. 2: Elvis Merzlikins
When the Leafs made a goaltender trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets last Friday, many hoped that it would be one of their more well-known players, instead of Veini Vehvilainen.
Vehvilainen helps the depth of the organization but Merzlinkins could be a 1A or 1B goalie with Campbell.
The 26-year-old netminder has seen limited action in the NHL. After playing in the Swiss-A league for years, he was finally able to make his NHL debut during the 2019-20 season and didn’t disappoint. His stats have declined this year, but locked up at $4M for the next campaign could be worth trading for.
Andersen will most likely ask for a $6M deal next year, so would you rather have him and Campbell for $7.8M or Merzlinkins and Campbell for $5.8M? Probably the latter, just based on the sad history and upside for both goalies.
Columbus is in shambles right now. John Tortorella is probably going to get fired and the team is going to have to move in the direction of a rebuild. As a result, they are probably go to trade as many assets as they have to start that process. With two potential No. 1 goaltenders, one of Merzlinkins or Joonas Korpisalo will probably get traded.
Both goaltenders have the potential to shine in a better organization and a trade to Toronto could get them back to their old selves.
Speaking of Korpisalo….
No. 1: Joonas Korpisalo
Merzlinkins would be a good grab for the Leafs, but Korpisalo would be even better. If the Leafs can convince Columbus to move on from him, they should jump on that opportunity for multiple reasons.
Firstly, his salary cap-hit is awesome. At $2.8M fthrough 2021-22, the Leafs could have one of the best and cheapest goaltender duo’s in the NHL with Campbell and Korpisalo. With only $4.6 tied up in netminders, the Leafs would be able to re-sign Zach Hyman and improve elsewhere.
If you remember the NHL Bubble, which many Leafs fans are probably trying to forget, Korpisalo was unbelievable. If it wasn’t for his performance, Toronto would have advanced and won their first playoff series in 16 years.
Korpisalo had two shutouts against the Leafs and was almost able to upset the Tampa Bay Lightning all by himself. After having an 85-save (!!!) performance, it felt like Korpisalo was running on fumes for the remainder of the series, before ultimately losing in five games.
It may have just been nine playoff games, but Korpisalo proved that he can play his best hockey at the biggest moments and help his team to victory. That’s unfortunately something Andersen hasn’t shown the Toronto Maple Leafs in his timeframe here, so a trade for Korpisalo could give Toronto some peace of mind heading into the post-season.
His stats are a little worse than Andersen’s career numbers, but that shouldn’t shy the Leafs away from making a deal. His ability to show the hockey world that he’s clutch in the playoffs and small cap-hit should make him a perfect fit in Toronto.
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Korpisalo played every one of his playoff games at Scotiabank Arena last year, so he’s familiar with the space and has shown that he can excel there. If the team gave him that same opportunity again this year, he could be the difference-maker in the Toronto Maple Leafs being upset in the First Round or winning the Stanley Cup.