Toronto Acquires Frederik Andersen

[AJgoal]

For #30 and a 2nd next year.

[DaGreatGazoo]

Told Leafs have agreed to a five year extension with Andersen as well. He would have been RFA July 1. Per Pierre Lebrun

 

[yave1964]

GREAT pick up for the Leafs, simply smashing. He put up great numbers for the past several years but a) was being pushed by Gibson, an even better prospect, and b) was a whipping boy of Budreau. I figured Andersen would go East, if I were anaheim I would not have wanted him in Dallas or Calgary either.

[yave1964]

Of course that being said, he will find one Hell of a difference in net with Fowler, Vatanan, Lindholm and Bieksa compared to the F troop that is the Leaf defense as presently constituted. I love Reilly and Gardiner is not the worst player in the league but for the most truthfully they would be the bottom pair in Anaheim at best. Toronto is building something but the defense is still among the worst in the league.

[Polaris922]

Great acquisition for the Leafs but they'd better fix the defense or it won't make a difference. 

[ezlot76]

Like the deal for the Leafs. Think they needed him. Really think both teams did well in this one

[OccamsRazor]

38 minutes ago, Polaris922 said:

Great acquisition for the Leafs but they'd better fix the defense or it won't make a difference. 

 

Yep they are bound to ruin another kid's confidence for sure...yikes...no pressure in Toronto...

[J0e Th0rnton]

2 hours ago, AJgoal said:

For #30 and a 2nd next year.

Effectively, two 2nd round picks. Realistically, they close to got Andersen for Kessel. Which ain't bad.

 

Its back to being a buyers market for goalies. The only teams looking for a #1 now are Calgary and possibly Buffalo, Ottawa and Dallas. Dallas is screwed because they are both a buyer and seller paying around 10.5 million dollars for 2 awful goalies and would love to unload one of them. Ottawa is still hoping one of Hamburglar/Anderson work for them. Buffalo has not likely given up on Lehner yet, but may try to scoop one of Ramo/Reimer to platoon if Johnson gets enticed to be another teams backup.

 

Other options for trade are one of Elliott/Allen, Pavelec is anyone wants to chance his arse, one of Ward/Lack if Carolina gives up again, one of Tampa's Bishop/Vasilevskiy, One of Fleury/Murray, possibly giving a chance to Columbus' Korpisalo, and I am sure I don't know what Benning is thinking in Vancouver with Miller/Markstrom. And of course the wings would love to toss Howard's contract even more with Datsyuk screwing them over.

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Not bad for Toronto...

 

And I don't say that to downplay the deal made, but rather, to point out once again, as @yave1964 and some others have already pointed out, Andersen will find a world of difference playing behind the Leafs than he did the Ducks.

 

Now, this will either make or break Andersen.

He could very well be the kind of guy, at age 26, who finally comes into his own and can actually steal games for the Leafs on a regular basis while they get their act together on defense.

Obviously, it could break him as well if he really isn't the type of goalie who can stand the scrutiny of the Toronto media and the fans, AND cannot deal with being exposed by the poor Toronto defense.

 

Actually, in Anaheim, I never felt the Ducks had a 'great' defense either, and thus, at times Andersen WAS exposed...but oftentimes, the Ducks OFFENSE was the ones that bailed out the sometimes suspect defense in Anaheim and covered any bad nights by Andersen or any other goalie in net.

Also, the Ducks actual defensemen oftentimes play like forwards (hence their propensity to give up lots of chances against), and they too could cover up any off nights by the goaltender simply by contributing to the offense to at LEAST make up for any goals allowed.

 

Andersen, as of now, will likely NOT find any such safety nets in Toronto. If he makes it there, it will be by his own will to be and play great.

That all said, the Leafs did show some signs of life after unloading several big contracts and they seem set up pretty well with young, hungry players and good draft positioning, especially with the expected addition of Auston Matthews.

 

Even if the Toronto defense doesn't play lights out, perhaps with some newfound offensive consistency, Andersen could find his job made easier by having some goals to work with.

But make no mistake...he definitely has his work cut out for him.

 

On the flip side, the Ducks already have a nice contending team, with a mixture of vets and young players, have a few in the pipeline already as well.....and having two more picks to either use or use as trade chips helps them in exchange for a goalie they likely were not going to be making their number one due to their seeming commitment to one John Gibson.

[AJgoal]

I saw an interesting graphic somewhere that showed the Anaheim defense was much worse around Andersen, allowing the average shot attempt against him at something like 12 feet closer (NOT insignificant). Yet he still put up comparable numbers to Gibson.

[WordsOfWisdom]

12 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Not bad for Toronto...

 

And I don't say that to downplay the deal made, but rather, to point out once again, as @yave1964 and some others have already pointed out, Andersen will find a world of difference playing behind the Leafs than he did the Ducks.

 

Now, this will either make or break Andersen.

He could very well be the kind of guy, at age 26, who finally comes into his own and can actually steal games for the Leafs on a regular basis while they get their act together on defense.

Obviously, it could break him as well if he really isn't the type of goalie who can stand the scrutiny of the Toronto media and the fans, AND cannot deal with being exposed by the poor Toronto defense.

 

I smell history repeating on this one again.  It doesn't matter who the Leafs have in goal unless they fix the defence. Can someone explain to me why the Leafs don't focus on improving their D? Anyone? 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

8 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

I smell history repeating on this one again.  It doesn't matter who the Leafs have in goal unless they fix the defence. Can someone explain to me why the Leafs don't focus on improving their D? Anyone? 

 

I am no expert, but I will take a stab at this, based on what I've seen from them as a franchise going back to the year the Rangers won the Cup last (when I started to pay attention to the NHL):

 

The Leafs, at their best (think Gilmour, Cujo, Clark, etc), were always an offense first, bruising, fast type team.

Their identity has always seemed to be one of, keep it on their side, we beat'm up in the corners, score the dirty goal.

 

I can't ever, ever recall a good defensive Leafs team, and on the rare seasons when they have tried focusing on it, they seemed to have forgotten how to score and lose a bunch of low scoring games.

 

I just think Brendan Shanahan and his staff may just be trying to get back to the kind of Leafs hockey that at least was very good offensively, was intimidating up front, and just let the goalie, if he was good enough, make the stops on the chances the other team was sure to get.

Oh yea, Leafs didn't win any titles back in the 90's either, but still, compared to what they are now, they at least CONTENDED for playoff spots, and even came close to a Finals appearance if it weren't for one Barry Mullet Melrose and his Kings.....

[yave1964]

Well the last time the Leafs took a stab at fixing the D they went all in on Dion Phaneuf. How did that work out?

 

 But seriously, they have a ton of A and B prospects, predominantly forwards, Loov isnt a horrible prospect, Harrington might be able to play a little but really the cupboard is close to empty on defense at all levels so signing a Robidas or plucking a Hunwick off waivers until the prospects come around is really not an option.

  They could a) sign free agents and hope for the best or b) trade a Kadri or Bozak for a defender. Those are the only real options, personally I would combine the two, I would sign a shut down guy to pair with Reilly and a puck mover to pair with Gardiner. But the truth is this is one awful defense with no end in sight.

[WordsOfWisdom]

3 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

I am no expert, but I will take a stab at this, based on what I've seen from them as a franchise going back to the year the Rangers won the Cup last (when I started to pay attention to the NHL):

 

The Leafs, at their best (think Gilmour, Cujo, Clark, etc), were always an offense first, bruising, fast type team.

Their identity has always seemed to be one of, keep it on their side, we beat'm up in the corners, score the dirty goal.

 

I can't ever, ever recall a good defensive Leafs team, and on the rare seasons when they have tried focusing on it, they seemed to have forgotten how to score and lose a bunch of low scoring games.

 

I just think Brendan Shanahan and his staff may just be trying to get back to the kind of Leafs hockey that at least was very good offensively, was intimidating up front, and just let the goalie, if he was good enough, make the stops on the chances the other team was sure to get.

Oh yea, Leafs didn't win any titles back in the 90's either, but still, compared to what they are now, they at least CONTENDED for playoff spots, and even came close to a Finals appearance if it weren't for one Barry Mullet Melrose and his Kings.....

 

Correct... and they always lost because their defence wasn't good enough when they got deep into the playoffs (final four) and ran into teams that could match them up front and in goal.

 

Example: The 1993-94 Leafs would have run into Brian Leetch, Mark Messier, and Mike Richter of the New York Rangers in the final. Gilmour and Messier cancel out, Richter vs Potvin.. call it a draw, but there's no getting past the fact that Leetch would have carved the Leafs up to smithereens.  

 

 

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

2 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Well the last time the Leafs took a stab at fixing the D they went all in on Dion Phaneuf. How did that work out?

 

 But seriously, they have a ton of A and B prospects, predominantly forwards, Loov isnt a horrible prospect, Harrington might be able to play a little but really the cupboard is close to empty on defense at all levels so signing a Robidas or plucking a Hunwick off waivers until the prospects come around is really not an option.

  They could a) sign free agents and hope for the best or b) trade a Kadri or Bozak for a defender. Those are the only real options, personally I would combine the two, I would sign a shut down guy to pair with Reilly and a puck mover to pair with Gardiner. But the truth is this is one awful defense with no end in sight.

 

It boggles my mind that they keep repeating the same tired and losing formula. 

 

The Leafs "D" was the worst in the NHL last season, and now they're without Phaneuf and Polak. That's like helping the offence out by removing Kessel and JVR. (Okay, Phaneuf isn't that good lol.) This team has nothing on the back end. It's ugly. They're going to ruin another goalie. Toronto is where goalies go to end their NHL careers.  

[flyercanuck]

8 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

It boggles my mind that they keep repeating the same tired and losing formula. 

 

The Leafs "D" was the worst in the NHL last season, and now they're without Phaneuf and Polak. That's like helping the offence out by removing Kessel and JVR. (Okay, Phaneuf isn't that good lol.) This team has nothing on the back end. It's ugly. They're going to ruin another goalie. Toronto is where goalies go to end their NHL careers.  

 

As a Flyer fan I feel your pain. 

 

As a Flyer fan I'm glad this curse may have finally moved on.

[yave1964]

@WordsOfWisdom

 

Chin up, it is only June after all, lol. I truly believe they will add a couple of vets, YOUNG vets not this whole Robidas thing where you sign a guy with one leg and on the wrong side of 30. I trust Shanny and Babs to get this figured out and soon.

They may trade a kid forward, God knows they have enough of them and they are in demand in some circles. New Jersey from which Lou came has some decent if unspectacular blueliners and little up front, it could be a match made in heaven for both. I mean, look at the Leaf forwards, assuming Parenteau comes back:

1)Bozak

2) Kadri

3) Hyman

4) Parenteau

5) Nylander

6) Marner

7) Matthews

8) Komarov

9) Holland

10) Michalek

11) Connor Brown

12) Soshnikov

13) Leipsic

14) Kapanen

Listed in no particular order.

 

Now some of these guys are Marlie bound but all are top 9 guys. This is not listing Gauthier whom I love as a bottom six shut down guy with a bit of upside or Laich or Froese or even Leivo. Forwards coming out of the wazoo. So for a team like New Jersey or Carolina or Calgary who are loaded on the back end and in need of forwards the first place I would contact is Toronto. I do not believe this is the old regime, I love that Shanny let your boys take their lumps last year and is building something rather than try to squeeze 5 extra points or something inane out of the team. The Leafs ahve the most ready now or nearly ready top tier forward prospects in the game, it is certainly something to build on and if you have to package one or two up to fix the back end, well, they are coming in waves, there are lots of them to sort through anyway.

[hf101]

14 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

@WordsOfWisdom

 

Chin up, it is only June after all, lol. I truly believe they will add a couple of vets, YOUNG vets not this whole Robidas thing where you sign a guy with one leg and on the wrong side of 30. I trust Shanny and Babs to get this figured out and soon.

They may trade a kid forward, God knows they have enough of them and they are in demand in some circles. New Jersey from which Lou came has some decent if unspectacular blueliners and little up front, it could be a match made in heaven for both. I mean, look at the Leaf forwards, assuming Parenteau comes back:

1)Bozak

2) Kadri

3) Hyman

4) Parenteau

5) Nylander

6) Marner

7) Matthews

8) Komarov

9) Holland

10) Michalek

11) Connor Brown

12) Soshnikov

13) Leipsic

14) Kapanen

Listed in no particular order.

 

Now some of these guys are Marlie bound but all are top 9 guys. This is not listing Gauthier whom I love as a bottom six shut down guy with a bit of upside or Laich or Froese or even Leivo. Forwards coming out of the wazoo. So for a team like New Jersey or Carolina or Calgary who are loaded on the back end and in need of forwards the first place I would contact is Toronto. I do not believe this is the old regime, I love that Shanny let your boys take their lumps last year and is building something rather than try to squeeze 5 extra points or something inane out of the team. The Leafs ahve the most ready now or nearly ready top tier forward prospects in the game, it is certainly something to build on and if you have to package one or two up to fix the back end, well, they are coming in waves, there are lots of them to sort through anyway.

 

 

 

As I wrote in the other thread the Leafs did sign from the KHL d-man Nikita Zaitsev who I expect to be on the top line next year.  Connor Carrick lead the Marlies in the playoffs with 18 pts and I fully expect to see him on the Leafs roster as well.  While you may be right they may trade for a d-man, I don't think they are in as bad of shape as some think they are.

[yave1964]

Just now, hf101 said:

 

As I wrote in the other thread the Leafs did sign from the KHL d-man Nikita Zaitsev who I expect to be on the top line next year.  Connor Carrick lead the Marlies in the playoffs with 18 pts and I fully expect to see him on the Leafs roster as well.  While you may be right they may trade for a d-man, I don't think they are in as bad of shape as some think they are.

I am not sold on Carrick, I believe he is too small to play more than a specialist role in the NHL. I see him as a career AHLer who if he catches a break he might catch on but he is under six foot and I believe without looking it up around 180. He has speed but I do not believe he can handle the every day grind in the NHL. Zaitsev, I have never seen him play but I know the Leafs are hoping for good things, definitely a wild card. They do have some middling prospects on defense to be sure but most of the back end is made up of other teams garbage, the Oilers desperate for defense let Marancin go, that should say something. Carrick (Washington) Harrington (Pittsburgh) Campbell (Los Angeles) Corrado (Vancouver) and Marancin (Edmonton) were not exactly considered top tier prospects by their teams. Carrick came over for Winnick, Harrington came from the Penguins only after Rutherford refused to part with either Maatta or Dumoulin. They may not be quite the scrap heap but certainly bargain shopping.

  Reilly I absolutely love. When Phaneuf was sent away Reilly became one of the best scoring blueliners in the game down the stretch and is certainly a nice building block. Gardiner is not bad but is overused due to lack of talent around him. As for the rest, Loov and Rinat Valiev and now Zaltsev give a foreign feel and are intriguing but as for the rest, inclduding Carrick, I pass.

[hf101]

Zaitsev highlights:

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

1 hour ago, hf101 said:

 

As I wrote in the other thread the Leafs did sign from the KHL d-man Nikita Zaitsev who I expect to be on the top line next year.  Connor Carrick lead the Marlies in the playoffs with 18 pts and I fully expect to see him on the Leafs roster as well.  While you may be right they may trade for a d-man, I don't think they are in as bad of shape as some think they are.

 

Almost forgot about him.

 

 

[J0e Th0rnton]

15 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

I am no expert, but I will take a stab at this, based on what I've seen from them as a franchise going back to the year the Rangers won the Cup last (when I started to pay attention to the NHL):

 

The Leafs, at their best (think Gilmour, Cujo, Clark, etc), were always an offense first, bruising, fast type team.

Their identity has always seemed to be one of, keep it on their side, we beat'm up in the corners, score the dirty goal.

 

I can't ever, ever recall a good defensive Leafs team, and on the rare seasons when they have tried focusing on it, they seemed to have forgotten how to score and lose a bunch of low scoring games.

 

I just think Brendan Shanahan and his staff may just be trying to get back to the kind of Leafs hockey that at least was very good offensively, was intimidating up front, and just let the goalie, if he was good enough, make the stops on the chances the other team was sure to get.

Oh yea, Leafs didn't win any titles back in the 90's either, but still, compared to what they are now, they at least CONTENDED for playoff spots, and even came close to a Finals appearance if it weren't for one Barry Mullet Melrose and his Kings.....

During the Gilmour/Clark early 90's days, they were one of the most defense first hard checking teams in the NHL from what I remember.