Maple Leafs Notes: Andersen, Griffith, Reimer
When Toronto Maple Leafs saw rookie Auston Matthews score four goals in a losing effort, it was a sign of things to come for the team this season. Despite scoring 21 goals in 6 games, and taking leads into the third period a handful of times, the team is 1-2-3 as they head into tonight’s matchup with the Florida Panthers.
Jamie McLennan of TSN broke down what he thinks is one of the key factors in their record and analyzed the weak play of Frederik Andersen. McLennan says that Andersen has allowed at least one “bad goal” in each game this season, deflating the team and allowing the opposition to come back. It’s not all bad for Andersen though, as the TSN panelist says that his team defense hasn’t helped him very much through the first few games. He’ll be in net when they take on the Panthers.
- Seth Griffith will work his way into the lineup for the Leafs tonight, his first game of the season since being claimed on waivers October 11th. The former Boston Bruin is a dangerous offensive talent that hasn’t been able to find his footing in the NHL thus far, but scored 77 points in 57 AHL games last season. He’ll start on the fourth line, taking Peter Holland‘s place alongside another recently claimed player in Ben Smith.
- James Reimer will make his return to Toronto as a member of the Florida Panthers tonight, though in a backup role to Roberto Luongo. While Reimer was somewhat of a divisive character among Leafs fans during his tenure with the team, he does rank among the leaders in many all-time categories among Toronto netminders. While he’ll most likely be remembered best for the collapse in game 7 against Boston three years ago, he also could have likely been a part of the re-build had they not decided to go after Andersen this summer.
Maple Leafs Claim Ben Smith Off Waivers
The Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed Ben Smith off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche, reports TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
Smith will be joining Toronto for a second stint with the team. Late last season, he was acquired from San Jose by the Leafs as a salary throw-in as part of the James Reimer trade and evidently the team liked what it saw from Smith even though they didn’t re-sign him in the offseason. He had two goals and four assists with the Leafs in 16 games but was held off the scoresheet in six contests with San Jose.
This season, Smith has played in four games with the Avalanche, collecting zero points and a -2 rating while averaging 10:46 per night. For his career, he has played in 201 NHL contests between Chicago, San Jose, Toronto, and Colorado, picking up 27 goals and 23 assists.
Smith will likely reprise his fourth line penalty killing with the Maple Leafs, who also waived Milan Michalek on Monday. He’ll earn $675K in the NHL this year and $150K in the minors after signing a two-way deal back in the offseason. As James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail points out, the Leafs will actually save $275K on the cap by adding Smith in place of Michalek although just over $3MM of Michalek’s salary will still count on their cap if he clears and is sent to the minors.
[Related: Maple Leafs Depth Chart]