The Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to trade Andreas Johnsson to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Joey Anderson.
TOR/NJ is straight up Andreas Johnsson for Joey Anderson
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 10, 2020
Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Andreas Johnsson to The Devils
Key Players
Andreas Johnsson
In Andreas Johnsson, the Devils get a skilled depth winger that is able to contribute up and down the lineup. This season, he scored 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points, adding 14 minutes in penalties through 43 games. His possession numbers are 52.94 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 7.03 at 5v5. Those totals are slightly worse compared to last seasons per-game rates, where he scored 20 goals, 23 assists for 43 points through 73 games. Over his 3-year NHL career, Andreas Johnsson has exclusively played for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In that time, he has 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 career points in 125 career games. He was originally drafted in the 7th round, 202nd overall of the 2013 NHL draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Joey Anderson
Toronto is getting a player who has not met his peak yet in the NHL. Anderson has played in 52 for the Devils recording 13 points (eight goals and five assists). The Devils originally drafted Anderson 73rd overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Anderson will try to crack the lineup for the Leafs this season but has been in the AHL more than the NHL. Anderson skates very well and wins a ton of puck battles. He makes excellent, quick, and simple decisions with the puck. He can play the penalty very effectively and has good hands at the front of the net.
What This Means for the Future
Johnsson has been in trade rumours for quite a while now, carrying a $3.4 million cap hit on a team that is tight against the cap and is already considered forward heavy. The Leafs are trading away a player raised through their system that they drafted back in 2013. He was a real testament to what the Leafs were able to do with their development system with the Marlies. Andreas Johnsson will get a new opportunity with a new team, however. He seemingly fell out of favour with the Leafs after his injury in the 2019-20 season. However, he can still provide value, scoring at a 15-20 goal pace over the past two seasons.
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