Toronto Maple Leafs superstar center Auston Matthews took the ice for the club's optional morning skate on Saturday. But when will he return to game action? The Carolina Hurricanes are going to be without the services of goaltender Frederik Andersen for a while. According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, Andersen is set to undergo surgery that will keep him out of the team's lineup for "roughly" eight weeks. Six days ago, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour updated the status of the former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender and say that the netminder was going to be out "way longer" than the initial week-to-week timeline provided by the club back on Oct. 31. It's the latest setback for Andersen, who was limited to just 16 games last season due to blood clots. The 35-year-old is in the final year of a two-year contract that carries an average annual value of $3.4 million. Andersen spent five seasons with the Maple Leafs, beginning in the 2016-17 season. In his first season, he played 66 games, recorded 33 wins, and posted a .918 save percentage, helping the Leafs reach the playoffs for the first time in four years. Over the next two seasons, Andersen cemented his status as one of the NHL's most reliable workhorse goalies, playing over 60 games each year. He faced one of the league’s heaviest workloads but consistently delivered strong numbers, with a .918 save percentage in both the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons. Andersen’s ability to handle such volume was crucial for the Leafs, and he even set a franchise record as the fastest goalie in team history to reach 100 wins. Despite his regular-season excellence, playoff success eluded the Leafs during this time. Andersen faced criticism for his performances in critical postseason moments, particularly in back-to-back Game 7 losses to the Boston Bruins in 2018 and 2019. These defeats often highlighted inconsistencies in his play under the heightened pressure of the playoffs. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14K9x4YMsUM[/embed] The 2019–20 season saw a slight dip in Andersen’s performance, with a .909 save percentage in 52 games. The season, disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, ended in disappointment for the Leafs as they lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the qualifying round. Injuries, which had largely spared Andersen in earlier years, began to take a toll on his performance. He dealt with nagging issues throughout the season but managed to play through them. However, by the 2020–21 campaign, injuries began to significantly affect his availability and consistency. A lower-body injury early in the season sidelined Andersen for an extended period, limiting him to just 24 games. When he returned, he struggled to regain his form, posting a career-low .895 save percentage. His absence during key stretches of the season allowed Jack Campbell to emerge as the Leafs’ new starting goaltender, effectively signaling the end of Andersen’s time in Toronto.
