Wednesday marked the end of an era for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After spending five seasons with the organization, goaltender Frederik Andersen signed a new two-year, $9 million deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, finally putting to be any possibility of a return. The Dane will replace Petr Mrazek in Carolina, who ultimately signed a three-year, $11.4 million deal with the Leafs. Freddie recorded 29 or more wins in his first four seasons with the team.
Not that it wasn’t expected, but this is still some tough news to swallow for both fans and teammates. Auston Matthews formed a particularly close friendship with the 31-year-old during their time playing together, as the two joined the organization at the same time back in the 2016-17 season. Matthews, who’s quite the savant on social media, posted a carousel of photos and just a heads up- you might get emotional after seeing it.
What a ride it was. It looked like the two did everything together and this is just a tough reminder of how hard being a professional athlete can be. It obviously had its perks but let’s remember that it’s still a business and tough decisions still need to be made.
Freddie, you served the Leafs well. All the best in Carolina!
(H/T Auston Matthews)
