Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen will be out 3-4 weeks after suffering an upper body injury in an Olympic Qualifying game with Denmark. Andersen’s expected recovery time still puts him in line to start the season with the Leafs.
Andersen suffered the injury after being barrelled into by his own teammate during Denmark’s 3-0 loss to Slovenia in an Olympic Qualifying match. He then flew to Toronto to be examined by team doctors. Andersen was slated to play for Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey this fall, and is instead replaced by Washington Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
The Maple Leafs acquired Andersen as an unsigned RFA from Anaheim for a 2016 1st and 2017 2nd round draft pick. They then signed the Danish goaltender to a five-year, $25MM contract. Andersen was expected to start for the Leafs this season, and with opening night not until October 12, he has ample time to recover. Speculating on the injury’s severity, however, should not be based on the proposed recovery time as many players in the last few days have announced injuries that take them out of the World Cup. Players (and teams) are exercising caution when it comes to injuries, and may not want to aggravate an injury for a pre-season tournament.