Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Emil Andrae said he suspected that he would get traded from the Philadelphia Flyers. "But when I found out it was Toronto, I couldn't be happier."
Of the abundance of off-season moves by Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka, defenseman Emil Andrae was one of the first acquisitions of Chayka's tenure. Andrae came in that trade, along with Samuel Ersson and a third-round pick that sent Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers in June.
At the Maple Leafs' annual golf charity event, Andrae spoke to the media for the first time since joining Toronto.
"A lot of emotions and a little shock during the summer," Andrae said about his trade to Toronto. "But I'm excited. I'm excited to be here. I've been here for a couple weeks now, and I'm happy to be here."
He said he was at the golf course at the time he was getting traded to the Leafs.
"The GM of the Flyers, he called me in the last hole, and I finished the last hole, and then I called him back," Andrae explained. "So I got the news there. But when I found out it was Toronto, I couldn't be happier."
It's a new environment for the 24-year-old D-man, who spent parts of the past three years with Philadelphia, and featured in 107 NHL games to this point in his career.
"I know the Swedes a little bit, both Willy (Nylander) and Oliver (Ekman-Larsson) but other than that, new faces," Andrae said of getting used to his new team and home. "They've all been good to me. I like it so far."
Though Andrae played 61 regular-season games for the Flyers last season, scoring two goals and 13 points, the 5-foot-9 blueliner wasn't utilized a whole lot. He averaged 15:20 of average ice time per game, despite finishing second on the team in plus-minus with a plus-15 rating.
In the post-season, too, he didn't see the ice much. In the 10 playoff games that Philadelphia played, Andrae featured in four of them, and only averaged 11:05 of ice time in that stretch.
As he looked to break into the Flyers lineup on a full-time basis, he also saw plenty of action in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
With all that in mind, he's excited for the new opportunity in Toronto.
"Coming in a little younger, you know, a little fresh start for me as well," he said. "I've been up and down in Lehigh and in Philly for two and a half years now. So I want to be acclimated to the league and be an everydayer, and that's my goal when I get here."
Andrae admitted that, while he was shocked about the move coming to fruition, he had some suspicion that some sort of deal would materialize.
"I had a little bit of a feeling maybe," he said. "There's a lot of young guys coming up there (in Philadelphia), a lot of prospects that they need to get into the team, into the league.
"For me, I think it was a great thing to get moved. I love the guys there, and I love the place, and I love to play in that city. But I think a fresh start for me now, it's going to be perfect. And, yeah, I couldn't be more excited to be here."
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