No. 1: Freddie Andersen
I know this seems like a terrible decision, but how many more better realistic options are there besides Andersen?
With a career 2.65 GAA and .915 SV%, we all know the type of goalie that Andersen is. He has games where he looks as steady as Carey Price, but also has performances where he allows five goals on 20 shots. (stats hockeydb.com).
When he’s good, he’s a top-10 goalie in NHL, but when he’s bad, he’s one of the worst. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions with Andersen, but on a one-year $5M deal, maybe he’s the answer?
Andersen seems to have a good relationship with the players, especially Auston Matthews, and it feels like the team believes in him as a goalie. They also have a ton of faith in Jack Campbell, but if Andersen is your back-up next year, you could be in a worse spot.
For the past few years, we’ve seen Andersen falter in the playoffs because he’s played too many games. If he’s asked to play between 30-40 games, instead of 60 (which he typically does) he may perform much better than previous seasons.
Also, the battle for the number-one spot should only increase competition and performance for both goalies, as they duke it out to get the starter’s net.
Bringing Andersen back isn’t the most ideal thing, but on a one-year deal at $5M, I could understand it.