Completed Maple Leafs-Flyers trade left young defenseman in shock
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Emil Andrae admits the Maple Leafs trade caught him off guard, but the young defenseman says he could not be happier landing in Toronto ahead of training camp.
Andrae was on the golf course back in June when his phone buzzed with a call that changed everything.
The Flyers were moving on, and Toronto was calling.
He finished his round first, then called his old GM back to get the news official.
A little shocking at first, sure, but once he heard it was the Maple Leafs, Andrae could not stop smiling.
The 24 year old Swedish blueliner came over in a deal that sent Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to Philadelphia, with goalie Samuel Ersson and a third round pick joining Andrae in the return.
Toronto locked him up on a two year, $3.1 million bridge deal on July 4, betting on the puck moving defenseman to grow into an everyday role on the back end.
Andrae faces a crowded blueline battle
Cracking the lineup will not be easy.
Morgan Rielly, Ekman-Larsson, Darren Raddysh, Jack McCabe and Chris Tanev are all locks if healthy, leaving Andrae to fight Troy Stecher and Nick Blankenburg for the final third pairing spot.
Six years of development in Philadelphia gave him confidence, and now he wants to prove it belongs in blue and white.
Leafs Nation will be watching closely
Fans in Toronto have already started buzzing about the undersized but shifty defenseman, and Andrae knows the pressure that comes with the sweater.
He has a few weeks under his belt with the club already and says he is fully embracing the fresh start as the Leafs open the season September 29 against Montreal.
For a guy who spent his entire pro career with one organization, adjusting to a new city and new teammates is no small task, but Andrae sounds ready to soak up every bit of it heading into camp.
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