Frederik Andersen rebounding after rough start
When the Toronto Maple Leafs traded a pair of draft picks (30th overall in 2016 and a 2nd rounder in 2017) to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Frederik Andersen, and subsequently committed $25 million to him over five years, there was no shortage of skeptics.
On the surface, it made some sense. Andersen had never carried the workload of a true No. 1 goaltender, nor did he own career numbers that were anything to write home about. Factor in that giving term and big dollars to goaltenders generally isn’t a good idea, and there was certainly some cause for concern.
As you could imagine, those skeptical of the trade from the start were out with their pitchforks after Andersen’s disastrous start to the season.
In his first five appearances, he allowed 22 goals while stopping just .851% of the shots he faced and looked completely lost at times.
Andersen has since turned a corner and is playing at the level management expected when they acquired him. In 15 games since his rough start, Andersen owns a 9-5-1 record and a solid .921 save percentage.
That number may not jump off the page but it is above league average, and impressive considering only three teams allow more 5v5 scoring chances per 60 than the Maple Leafs. In other words, Andersen faces a lot of quality shots, which anyone who watches the team with any regularity would certainly back me up on.
Given the magnitude of the Andersen trade (and the market he plays in) it will be ridiculed throughout his entire tenure in Toronto.
But, right now, Andersen is playing well and has (temporarily) silenced the skeptics as a result.
The Columbus Blue Jackets just might be for real
Every year there is a team that vastly outperforms the expectations put upon them prior to the season.
While it’s still early enough for things to change, this year’s surprise team appears to be the Columbus Blue Jackets.
They own an impressive 15-5-4 record, a plus-24 goal differential and are just three points back of the Montreal Canadiens for 1st place in the NHL.
While some of their success is a little luck driven — Alex Wennberg is scoring on 20% of his shots, for example — there is plenty of reason to believe this team is legitimately good.
On the year, the Blue Jackets are 9th in 5v5 Shots For% and 5th in 5v5 Scoring Chance For%. If you adjust for just the last 10 games, where the Jackets have really turned on, they look even better.
Over that 10-game span, the Jackets have controlled 56.7% of the shot attempts (1st), 59.9% of the shots on net (1st), and 59.5% of the scoring chances (2nd) at full-strength. When you post numbers like that you’re going to pick up a ton of points, which is evident given they have just one regulation loss in their last 10.
The Blue Jackets won’t maintain numbers like that over the course of the season but, generally, teams don’t dominate their opponents over a 10-game stretch unless they are good. In other words, there is a good chance the Jackets make the playoffs when all is said and done; especially with Sergei Bobrovsky returning to Vezina-caliber form.
Written by Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell)