The Anaheim Ducks now have two first-round picks in the 2016 NHL Draft, after shipping goalie Frederik Andersen to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade Monday.
In exchange for Andersen, the Ducks get the 30th overall pick -- originally from Pittsburgh to Toronto in the Phil Kessel deal a year ago -- in this week’s draft and a second-round pick in the 2017 draft. They also have the 24th overall pick in this year’s draft.
Lamoriello on Andersen: "Acquiring him was the most important thing. The price was secondary."
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) June 20, 2016
Last season, Andersen went 22-9-7 with a .919 save percentage and three shutouts. In the playoffs, he won three of his five starts and posted a save percentage of .947, as the Ducks were eliminated in the opening round by Nashville.
Andersen, 26, was a pending restricted free agent, but there’s more news on that front. too.
Lou Lamoriello confirms that the Leafs signed Frederik Andersen to a five-year contract.
— Alex Seixeiro (@AlexSeixeiro) June 20, 2016
Andersen's AAV is $5M on the button. $25M total value for five years.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 20, 2016
For only one more season, the Maple Leafs have Jonathan Bernier under contract at a cap hit of $4.15 million, while Garret Sparks is a pending RFA.
In the playoffs, Andersen was given the start over John Gibson in Game 3 of the first-round series, and never relinquished the position until the series was over. There had been speculation this season about Andersen’s future in Anaheim, with the idea he “will be expendable at some point” because of his contract status.
Ducks’ GM Bob Murray had also worried about the prospect of losing one of his goalies -- Andersen or Gibson -- to a possible expansion draft. This move solves that problem, while giving the 22-year-old Gibson the undisputed starting role.