Toronto Maple Leafs: Frederik Andersen gets well deserved all-star selection
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen was selected to his first All-Star Game and it’s something that was a long time coming.
Any time a player gets selected to an All-Star Game is an honour and for Toronto Maple Leafs fans there was a lot of excitement to see Frederik Andersen‘s name among those selected to represent the team in St. Louis.
For the past few years, there is no player who has played as big of a role in the Leafs success when Lou Lamoriello traded for him in 2016. Andersen is tied with Jordan Binnington for wins with 19 but his .914 sv% has him in second place as a result but he also faces the most shots among starters with 974.
More from Tip of the Tower
- Cam Phillips making his mark on Toronto Argonauts offence
- Toronto Argonauts: 4 storylines ahead of matchup against Redblacks
- Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
- Toronto Argonauts overcome Roughriders in entertaining Touchdown Atlantic
- Buffalo Bills: Von Miller drawing inspiration from Bruce Smith
If there was any player who deserved to get named to an all-star than Andersen but of course, many would like to see the overworked goalie get the week off.
To put things into perspective, the All-Star Game isn’t like any normal game and considering how each team has two goalies, Andersen won’t be going to battle. It’s a fun weekend for the players and for Andersen it’s a big deal since it’s his first being selected. He is also the first Leafs goalie to get the honour since Curtis Joseph played in 2000.
Of course, he won’t be going alone as Auston Matthews will be joining Andersen as he was selected to his fourth straight All-Star Game. He has been on a tear scoring 26 goals and 46 points in 40 games and is on pace for 53 goals is he plays all 82 games (knock on wood).
It’s also an added bonus that Matthews and Andersen have developed a strong friendship off the ice as both have been seen at Toronto Raptors games together and on private planes together.
"“He’s our backbone, he wants to be the best goalie you can be,” Matthews told reporters. “Knowing how competitive he is, he wants to be in that category. ”"
This is certainly true considering the Leafs enjoyed a big turnaround in November with Andersen going 7-3-1 with a .938 sv% and a 1.97 GAA. This probably helped him lock down the all-star nod considering Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy have struggled this season and would normally get the call before Freddy.
It’s funny how things have changed over the years for the Leafs considering Leo Komarov was once an all-star representative for the team which is easy to forget. Thankfully those years are behind this team.
Next. Why Phil Kessel is the player of the decade. dark
What are your thoughts on Andersen getting the nod to the All-Star Game? Is it something that should have come earlier or would you rather see him get the time off? Let us know in the comments below.