In the wake of the Toronto Maple Leafs early exit for the fourth year in a row, GM Kyle Dubas faces another offseason of uncertainty and a fan base eager for positive results. In spite of expressing confidence in the club’s core group, Dubas faces a number of decisions necessitated by contracts expiring and a need for improvement, including in goal with starter Frederik Andersen.
The 30-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and has provided stability in net ever since being acquired by former GM Lou Lamoriello in 2016, but has not been a difference-maker in the playoffs. After struggling in a pair of seven-game losses to Boston in 2018 and 2019, Andersen posted an excellent .936 save percentage and 1.84 GAA in five games against Columbus, but Toronto’s inability to break through offensively made it necessary for the big Dane to be near perfect for the Leafs to advance.
“As the season was coming to an end — I mean before we went on a break, before the pandemic began — Fred was playing his best hockey for us for sure. Right before the stretch where we went on the losing streak in November and even during that stretch, I thought he was excellent as well and really gave us a chance to keep winning games and collecting points even when we weren’t really playing that well at the end of October and early November. Dubas said last week. “I am sure there are stretches, like with everybody on our team, that he would like back in the season, but at the end of the year, when we were going down the stretch and into the playoffs, I thought Fred played really well. He is a proud guy and he has been a strong player for us now with our group for four years. He is a key part of our team.
Andersen is entering the final year of a five-year, $25 Million contract and in the first four years trails only Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky in victories and tied for the most games played (244).
The Leafs have been proactive in getting key players extended (Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl) before they hit free agency, but with a number of goaltenders on the market after the season and the Seattle expansion draft making others potentially available next summer, the Leafs may explore their options or allow Andersen to test the market.
Based on his workload and how heavily Toronto depends on him, the reasonable expectation is that Andersen’s asking price will be in the $6.166 - $7 Million range (on par with Connor Hellebuyck, John Gibson, and Tuukka Rask), but with the reality of the flat cap over the next few seasons, the Leafs having limited cap space, and Morgan Rielly and Zach Hyman also looking for new deals, it is possible that price could be too rich for Dubas.
If Dubas decides to make a preemptive change before next season, Toronto could pursue free agents Braden Holtby, Robin Lehner or Jacob Markstrom or make a trade for Matt Murray, who is a restricted free agent and split time in Pittsburgh with Tristan Jarry.
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