The Maple Leafs Got A Goalie

It’s Frederik Andersen, late of the Ducks. The Leafs announced the deal today, the 26-year-old Danish netminder in exchange for a 2016 first-rounder (the Penguins’ pick, 30th overall, acquired in the Phil Kessel trade) and a second-rounder next year. Seems like a fine deal for both teams.

Andersen’s stats are decent, in somewhat limited action—in 125 games (114 starts) over three seasons, his 2.33 goals against average and .918 save percentage are both better numbers than anyone put up for the Leafs this year. While Toronto still needs to sign Andersen, a restricted free agent, the Sharks’ run with Martin Jones was a signal to the league that if you have to spend a first-rounder to get a solid goalie, it can be very much worth it.

The Ducks have unsurprisingly opted to hitch their wagon to 22-year-old John Gibson, who has slightly better numbers than Andersen and is under contract for three more seasons, and for cheap. (The Ducks are facing a rough cap situation; the Leafs, meanwhile, have plenty of money to give Andersen the $5 million or so AAV he’s going to command.)

But the move is also a reaction to the recently formalized NHL Expansion Draft rules, which will prevent teams from protecting more than one goalie. Expect to see more teams swapping quality netminders: a Marc-André Fleury trade is probably a matter of when, not if.