Freddie Andersen will start his first NHL game since March 19th when the Toronto Maple Leafs face the Ottawa Senators tonight.
It wasn’t that long ago that Andersen was the best goalie Leafs since Ed Belfour. After watching a decade of below averaging goaltending, Andersen looked like the answer. And at times, he certainly was.
Andersen is clearly worthy of being a starting goalie in the NHL, but his reign as Toronto’s number-one netminder should be over.
It’s unfortunate that an injury has resulted in Andersen getting replaced, but don’t feel bad for him. With over $28M in career salary earnings, and many more millions to come, he’ll be fine.
Toronto Maple Leafs Playoff Starter
The 31-year-old goaltender’s stats have declined every season he’s been with the Leafs. He still has a career .915 SV% and 2.65 GAA but for the past two years, his stats have been floating around a .900 SV% and 2.90 GAA (stats: hockeydb.com)
Those numbers are OK for a back-up goalie, but they’re not good enough for a team that’s a Stanley Cup favorite.
Andersen’s inconsistency has been his biggest flaw because when he plays well, he looks like a top-five goalie in the league. However, when he plays bad, it’s ugly.
It’s either two goals against or five goals against, which averages out to that career 2.65 GAA, You can’t go into the playoffs hoping to see “Steady Freddie,” because it’s more likely than not, that “October Freddie” will show up.
Andersen’s Start Shouldn’t Change Anything
The Toronto Maple Leafs should treat Freddie Andersen’s start, just like an exhibition game. Whether he makes 50 saves and gets a shutout, or allows 10 goals on 12 shots, it shouldn’t make a difference.
There is way too much baggage associated with Andersen to be the team’s starter for game one of the playoffs. After years of below averaging goaltending in big games, the last thing the Leafs should want to do is start him at the beginning of the playoffs.
This doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t play a single playoff game this year, but he shouldn’t be the starter. Jack Campbell has played well enough this year to justify him being the starter. His teammates and coaches have all spoke highly of him and they seem to have a ton of confidence in him heading into the playoffs.
If Campbell plays bad and the Leafs go down early in the first round, then it’s justified to turn to Andersen. However, that’s only if his performance is terrible. If he’s allowing two or three goals per game and the team can’t score, like last year, then they should continue to ride Campbell.
Andersen has been a great pro in Toronto, but he’s not owed anything, especially as a pending free agent. Campbell has one year left on his contract and the Leafs should want to see if he can perform in a high-pressure playoff series.
They should look at Campbell’s playoff performance as a dress rehearsal on whether or not they should make him the starting goalie next year, or if they should look elsewhere. It’s good news that Andersen will be able to play an NHL game before the playoffs, but don’t let his performance fool you into believing in him. With 392 career NHL games, we already know the type of goalie he is.
At this point in his career, Andersen’s not going to win you a playoff series all by himself, but he could definitely lose you one.
So, move over Andersen, it’s Campbell’s time to shine.