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Leafs: How Will Frederik Andersen and Jhonas Enroth Fare?

By Vinnie

Mar 24, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Anaheim Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) during a break in the action against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Anaheim 6-5 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Anaheim Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) during a break in the action against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Anaheim 6-5 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The biggest challenge for both Frederik Andersen and Jhonas Enroth is the fact the Leafs are in the East, which is more offensively oriented compared to the West.

The Toronto Maple Leafs began their preseason journey for the 2016-2017 season on Monday night. One of the biggest issues the team has faced since the Ed Belfour and Curtis Joseph era of well over a decade ago, has been goaltending.

With the arrival of Frederik Andersen and Jhonas Enroth, it’s obvious the Leafs have made a positive progression in their long-term rebuild plans. They are in just year two of the rebuild, but Jonathan Bernier just never worked out for the Leafs, so it was a great opportunity to bring in two new goalies who have both played well in previous seasons.

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Andersen is now just 26 years of age, so he is approaching the peak of his career. He served three seasons in Anaheim and has a career GAA of 2.33.

Last year, his GAA was just a sliver better than his career average at 2.30. His save percentage last year was .919 and overall is .918 for his career.

Andersen started 37 games during the 2015-2016 season and finished with a 22-9-7 record. These are all, without a doubt, extremely impressive numbers.

It’s also important to note that in the 2014-2015 season, he started in 53 games for the Ducks and finished 35-12-5, with a 2.38 GAA and .914 save percentage. Again, these are very impressive numbers, with his numbers not dipping very much, despite the higher workload that season.

Enroth is a little bit older at 28 and is coming off his best statistical season when it comes to GAA and save percentage. His sample size is very small from the 2015-2016 season, where he started in just 13 games

However, his GAA of 2.17 and save percentage of .922 were still both impressive. It’s hard not to like those numbers from the perspective of a team that is still in the early stages of their rebuild.

The biggest challenge for both of these goalies is the fact the Eastern Conference is a lot more offensively oriented compared to the Western Conference. The West puts more focus on a defensive style of hockey, which in turn makes goaltending a little less challenging.

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September 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jhonas Enroth (1) defends the goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

You also have to consider how poor the Leafs defence was last year, giving up the fourth-most goals in the NHL (246), versus how great Andersen’s and Enroth’s former teams were. Anaheim gave up just 192 goals, which was tops in the NHL and LA gave up just 195 goals, which was third-best in the league.

We don’t have to look very far back to see that coming to the East from the West is a very challenging task. Take Bernier for example, who came from the Los Angeles Kings and had a 1.88 GAA and .922 save percentage in 2012-2013, his final season prior to joining the Leafs.

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His first and best season for the Leafs saw his GAA sky rocket to 2.68, while his save percentage sustained at .923. However, this eventually dropped to .912 and .908 respectively, during his final two seasons with the Leafs.

Vesa Toskala is another example of a goalie who struggled for the Leafs, after going from the West to the East. Back in 2007, we saw his GAA go from 2.35 with the San Jose Sharks to 2.74 in his first season with the buds.

Toskala’s save percentage dropped from .908 to .904. By the 2009-2010 season, it was down to .874.

So despite the very impressive numbers of the new goaltending additions to the Leafs, we’ll have to wait and see how things actually pan out. Lets hope for the best but not get too ahead of ourselves either, as Leafs fans tend to do.

Let’s also refrain from any premature booing, because this tends to do more damage than good to our beloved team. Remember it’s only year two of the rebuild and the Leafs are still a long way from being a true contender – anything they achieve this season is just a bonus.

Next: Leafs Podcast - World Cup of Hockey and Training Camp

What do you think of the new goalies in Toronto? How do you think they will do? Let us know in the comments below.

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