It hasn’t been an easy stretch for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen.
The 29-year-old has struggled to find his groove lately, going 5-4-1 through March so far with an abysmal .877 GAA. Andersen’s year got off with a bang, holding a .931 GAA through October and November but it appears that after hitting the 56 game mark on Monday in a 7-5 win over the Florida Panthers, his health isn’t where it should be. In addition to admitting he needs to find some “swagger” amid his current slump, the Dane admitted that he’s been “banged up” and that he’s "felt better" in previous years despite playing more game.
Fans didn’t exactly remain calm after seeing this on Twitter…
And then there were these heroes.
Because everyone cares fellas!
Andersen has seen a heavier workload over the past two seasons. In 2016-17 he reached 66 with a 33-16-14 record and .918 save percentage and replicated those exact totals the following year in 2017-18. His GAA actually remains at a solid 2.76 but has taken a hit as of late.
So with this in mind, should the Leafs give backup goaltender Garret Sparks more work until the end of the regular season? Sparks has gone 8-7-1 in the crease and it seems almost invetible at this point that they’ll be the road team in a first round series against the Boston Bruins. With Andersen admitting he’s a little banged up, it may be something to consider.
So hockey fans, what should the Leafs do? For more on the story, check out Frank Seravalli's article on it.
(H/T Frank Seravalli)
