3 Big-Name UFAs the Toronto Maple Leafs Must Avoid Re-Signing

Frederik Andersen

Trade rumours have surrounded Frederik Andersen for a few years now, but Kyle Dubas maintained his stance and kept Toronto’s most tenured netminder of this millennium throughout the duration of his contract. In hindsight, Dubas would probably like a re-do on this one.

As Andersen approached the final season of his five-year contract with the Maple Leafs, there were plenty of teams that would have jumped at the chance to take over the then 30-year-old’s $5 million AAV last offseason. Dubas could have worked out a return instead of waiting to see him walk in free agency.

Now, with that said, the case could have also been made that Toronto was hanging on to Andersen in anticipation of re-signing him. 2020-21 was slated to be a fresh start for all, after a disappointing finish the year prior, and it would be up to Andersen to prove his worth from the get-go.

Well, that conversation took a turn once Jack Campbell entered the fold and secured the starter’s crease. Andersen accumulated career lows with his 13 wins, .895 save percentage, and 2.96 goals against average last season, while Campbell was setting records in Toronto.

The latter has one year left on his current term, while the former is now a free agent. Letting their results do the talking, it’s obvious who Toronto’s money should be following from this point forward.