Drafting the Current Toronto Maple Leafs Roster In Their Prime

Honourable Mention – Frederik Andersen

This draft has proven that the group assembled in Toronto has many players who have had and are having outstanding careers. Players like Nick Foligno, Alexander Kerfoot, and Zach Hyman didn’t even get a mention. Neither did the Leafs’ star goaltender, Frederik Andersen, though he just bumps out of the top ten. If there was an 11th pick, it would be used on the stopper.

With the Maple Leafs unfortunate history of goaltending, they were fortunate to acquire a steady and reliable presence in their crease way back in June of 2016. Toronto sent a first and a second-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for the six-foot-four goalie from Herning, Denmark. Those picks were eventually used to select Sam Steel and Maxime Comtois respectively.

Andersen himself was actually drafted twice. He was originally selected in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, 187th overall. That was the same year Campbell was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars. Two years later, Andersen re-entered the draft where he was picked much higher. The Ducks chose him with their third-round pick, 87th overall.

Andersen quickly found success in Anaheim. His rookie campaign was strong enough to earn him a place on the 2013-14 All-Rookie Team. Then, two years later, he and his goaltending partner John Gibson were awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy because they were the tandem that ensured the Ducks were the club with the fewest goals scored against it.

Now playing in his eighth NHL season, Andersen has amassed 226 wins. That’s good enough for 76th on the all-time NHL leaders list. The record belongs to Martin Brodeur who won 369 games over his 22 year NHL career. While Andersen isn’t at that level, his individual stats are still decent. In his five years with the Leafs, he had a .918 save percentage and a goals-against-average of 2.33.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had many remarkable players come through the organization. This group is special and it will be fun seeing exactly what they can do when the games matter most.