Andersen allowed four goals on 32 shots in the Maple Leafs 5-4 overtime win over the Canadiens on opening night. It wasn't Andersen's sharpest performance but the Maple Leafs' high-powered offence was enough to overcome it. Tonight he takes on a Senators team that is improved in 2021 but still represent a solid matchup for Andersen.
Andersen has been a workhorse during his four years in Toronto, leading the NHL with 244 starts over that span. Had the 2020 season not been cut short, he would have won 30-plus games for the fourth straight season but posted a career-worst 2.85 GAA and .909 SVS%. He'll look to be sharper in 2021 and that starts with a matchup vs. Montreal. He is 3-0-1 with a .907 SV% in his first four opening night starts with the Maple Leafs.
Gostisbehere has missed the last couple of practices and will miss the season opener vs. the Penguins. Gostisbehere was skating on the top-pair in the middle of camp but Justin Braun will assume that role on Wednesday. Gostisbehere is not on IR, so he shouldn't miss an extended period of time.
In a late-night Boxing Day deal, the Senators brought in veteran centre Derek Stepan from Arizona. Stepan has one-year left on his deal, which carries a $6.5M cap-hit (per PuckPedia) and should prove to be a veteran stop-gap while the Senators' young centres continue to develop. Sepand has a chance to step into the Senators' top-6 and potentially play with Brady Tkachuk and/or Evgenii Dadonov. The last couple of seasons have been rough for Stepan, but he brings great shot volume and a reliable two-way game to a team with a lot of youth.
Jankowski struggled in 2020, going from 32 points in 2019 to just seven points (5G / 2A) in 56 games last year. Jankowski moves on to Pittsburgh, where he is expected to serve as the third line centre behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He has bounce-back potential but won't be anywhere near fantasy lineups.
Instead of overpaying a centre for four or five years in free agency, the Jets go back to a player they're familiar with via trade. Stastny was acquired at the trade deadline in 2018 and he had 28 points (10G / 18A) in 36 games between the regular season and playoffs combined. At 34-years-old, Stastny isn't the player he once was but he is a good short-term solution as the Jets' second line centre.
