Maple Leafs’ search for No. 1 goaltender has been long process

NHL insider Jeff Marek says the Leafs Frederik Andersen acquisition not only becomes a magnet for free agents, but also gives a young team a chance to be in a game for a full 60 minutes.

The best scouting mission that former Toronto Maple Leafs president, and then general manager, Ken Dryden ever went on was to a local convenience store to purchase some ice cream on a hot July night in 1998.

Great minds think a like — player agent Don Meehan was doing the same.

Meehan was in the middle of putting the final negotiating touches on a contract with the New York Rangers for free agent goaltender Curtis Joseph. While the ice cream melted, the two men engaged in a long impromptu discussion; Toronto’s goaltending woes were about to end.

Active negotiations continued the next day between the Maple Leafs and Meehan while the New York Rangers talks were put on the back burner. The end result was a four-year contract for Joseph and Toronto was provided with four years of excellent goaltending. The Leafs made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in two of those seasons and to the Conference Final in the other two.

Sure, there were quality players like Mats Sundin and Gary Roberts, but Joseph was the final integral piece in moving to that next level.

The Maple Leafs and Joseph parted ways after the four-year contract, but executed another free agent signing in Ed Belfour. Belfour, perceived baggage and all, followed up with two additional years (2002-2004) of excellent goaltending for Toronto.

It has been 12 years of average to very ordinary goaltending since then for Leafs fans, who might have been somewhat spoiled by those six years of both regular season and playoff goaltending. Just ask Ottawa Senators fans!

Whether it was highly touted draft pick Justin Pogge or the trade acquisitions of Andrew Raycroft, Vesa Toskala or Jonathan Bernier – that important No. 1 goaltending position was never adequately filled.

Toronto did draft an excellent goaltender in the first round with Tuukka Rask in 2005. He provided solid goaltending, just not with the Maple Leafs but rather with the Boston Bruins.

A Leafs second-round pick in 2011 was used to select a top young NHL goaltender although Toronto traded that pick to the Anaheim Ducks who selected John Gibson. The same Gibson who Anaheim decided to ride as its No. 1 goalie of the future, which made Frederik Andersen available to be acquired on Monday.

Lou Lamoriello needs no prompting to see the value and importance of having a quality No. 1 goaltender. After drafting Martin Brodeur in the first round of the 1990 NHL Draft, Lamairello and the New Jersey Devils soon saw almost two decades of consistent goaltending and three Stanley Cup championships.

Lamoriello’s last big trade with New Jersey was acquiring Cory Schneider from the Vancouver Canucks for a first-round pick in 2013.

Former Ducks coach (now Minnesota Wild head coach) Bruce Boudreau says that Andersen is a goaltender “that can win a game on his own.” His development improved after he left Denmark and played one year in Sweden and one with Rockford in the AHL before joining the Ducks.

Boudreau credits help from goaltender instructor Dwayne Roloson along with Andersen’s commitment to lose 25 pounds a few years ago as being integral in his significant improvement to becoming a bona fide No. 1 NHL goaltender.

The Leafs went a step further by signing Andersen to a five-year, $25 million dollar contract extension as he was due to become a restricted free agent.

No word on whether the deal was discussed over melting ice cream.

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