Frederik Andersen's positive COVID-19 test rules him out of return to Toronto
The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that former Leafs starter Frederik Andersen has been placed in COVID-19 protocol. Because of current Canadian border restrictions, this will rule him out of the January 3rd contest between the Canes and Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
Andersen was a fairly inconsistent for the Leafs in his 5 seasons as the starter, although it seemed as though as the Leafs' play got better, Andersen's goaltending got worse. The Leafs never missed the playoffs with Andersen, but they also never got past the first round, despite having series leads to work with. This eventually led to fans of the team wondering if he had the ability to carry them to the promised land, or at least the second round.
Andersen left Toronto after losing his starting job to Jack Campbell over the course of the 2020-2021 season due to injury and some seriously subpar performances. The Leafs and Canes ended up swapping goalies in free agency, as Petr Mrazek joined the Leafs while Andersen signed with the Hurricanes. So far, the Hurricanes have gotten the better of the deal, with Andersen having a stellar start to the season, nearly tying Jack Campbell's NHL record for most consecutive wins to start an NHL season. Mrazek has spent most of his first season in Toronto sidelined due to injury.
Andersen's next opportunity to play in Toronto won't come until March 14th, unless the Jan 3rd game is postponed, in which case it would likely take place during the break in the schedule that was set aside for the Beijing Olympics.
Andersen won his first meeting against his former club by a score of 4-1 in Raleigh, NC on October 25th.
