Ex-Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen and his old teammates sound off on one another

The Frederik Andersen era officially ended in Toronto this offseason, as the Maple Leafs elected not to bring him back for a 6th season in the crease. 

In his stead, GM Kyle Dubas inked goaltender Petr Mrazek to a three year contract in order to join forces with Jack Campbell. However, Mrazek's tenure in Toronto has been less than ideal, as he suffered a groin injury after allowing three goals to the Ottawa Senators earlier this month in his debut, and has been on the shelf ever since. 

Meanwhile, Andersen has been enjoying life as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, whom he was originally drafted by at the start of his NHL career. He inked a two year, $9 million deal with the Canes in late July, and so far the move has paid off in spades. He takes his perfect 4-0 record along with a 1.75 goals against average and .944 save percentage into tonight's game against his old Leafs teammates. 

But before their battle on the ice tonight, there were gestures of friendship yesterday. Andersen spent the day with forward Auston Matthews watching football, an activity they weren't able to do during their last season together in Canada thanks to COVID-19 protocols. 

"You guys lived in Canada last year, I don't think it was fun for anyone," Andersen said.  “Just happy to be here living in another good city."

"I really enjoyed living in Toronto," he explained. "It's an amazing city with amazing people. There are a lot of friendships I made there and I'm going to cherish them for a long time."

The Leafs have been watching their former teammate from afar

“He's been good there, so it's good for him,” said Mitch Marner. "He was a big part of my journey here in Toronto. For the first five years there, he was a big part of helping me out, getting me involved and making me feel comfortable and part of this team -- him and Marty (Matt Martin). So, it's gonna be great seeing him. He’s meant a lot to my family and myself."

“It was tough seeing him leave, but he's done a great job over there.”

For Andersen, there are no lingering hard feelings. 

"Not at all," Andersen says. "At least not on my part."

"I think I did what I could," Andersen says of last spring’s knee recovery. "I did the best that I could to try to get as healthy as possible. It just wasn't enough time to feel at my best. That is obviously is in the past. I'm happy to have had the summer that I did, to feel healthy and play again."

The Leafs and Hurricanes will face-off tonight beginning at 7:00 PM EST.