This is just the Toronto Maple Leafs’ luck with goalies: they have to worry about Frederik Andersen’s health before he’s even stopped a single puck for them.
(Check this post for more on the unfortunate moment when he was injured during Denmark’s Olympic qualifier match against Slovenia.)
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Andersen is being flown back from international competition so that the Maple Leafs’ own staff can take a look at the 26-year-old netminder. At the moment, it’s considered an upper-body injury with little additional information provided:
It’s reasonable to wonder if Andersen can play for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The Maple Leafs took a leap of faith in handing Andersen a five-year, $25 million deal after trading for him this off-season. They must be holding their breath after this crash, then:
It’s been a heavy day of injury updates related to players possibly skipping the World Cup of Hockey, with Jeff Carter unable to play for Team Canada and David Krejci likely needing to skip representing the Czech Republic.
PHT will provide updates regarding Andersen’s condition.