Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 keys to making the playoffs
By Paul Taylor
2. More Frederick Andersen
There’s no denying the Leafs’ defensive play has been the main culprit this season. Entering Tuesday night’s action, they had conceded the fourth-most goals in the NHL. (By comparison, they have scored the third-most goals in the league.)
While the Buds don’t have the strongest defensive depth in the league, it doesn’t help when some of your best blue-liners have been out with injuries. In particular, Morgan Rielly and Jake Muzzin have both missed significant time.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
There has been some good news in this respect, with Rielly set to return to action on Tuesday night against the Lightening. (As per Kristen Shilton of TSN, he was paired with Cody Ceci for practice on Monday and quarterbacked the Leafs’ second power-play unit.) However, what else can the team do to improve its defense, apart from working harder as already mentioned?
One thing which can help is to give Andersen the majority of the starts for the remainder of the regular season. While coach Sheldon Keefe may not want to put his number one goalie between the pipes for every game, it helps that the team only have one more back-to-back left in the 2019-20 campaign.
They are some who will disagree with this, and not just because Jack Campbell has looked pretty good in his six starts for the Leafs since being traded from the Kings. The reality is Andersen is having the worst of his four seasons since arriving in Toronto.
However, the 30-year-old is still the best option the Leafs have in net. He remains the same talented and imposing presence, who’s tough to beat when he’s on his game and has been excellent for the majority of his time in Southern Ontario.
In addition, Anderson knows how to step up and perform when the pressure increases. This is evidenced by 48 playoff starts during his NHL career (25-20 record), with a .914 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average.
As a final note, the 2020 All-Star has recently provided proof that he is coming into form, with a 4-1-1 record in his previous six starts. (He was particularly outstanding in the shoot-out loss to the Kings.) His renewed confidence, combined with his undoubted skill and the impending return of Rielly, is reason enough to give him the majority of the starts over the final 13 games.