• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle NHL
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • THW Archives
  • More…
    • Columns
    • NWHL
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle NHL
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • THW Archives
  • More…
    • Columns
    • NWHL
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Other Leagues
AHL
Charlotte Checkers

Frederik Andersen the One That Got Away

By Andrew Luistro September 28th, 2013

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

As the Charlotte Checkers dropped the puck on their 2013-14 preseason, a reminder of what could have been tended the net at the opposite end of the rink. Frederik Andersen was a seventh round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, though he played like anything but during his short stay in the organization.

Diamond in the Rough

After working his way through the Danish league with Herning Blue Fox and Frederikshavn White Hawks, Andersen arrived in the Swedish Elite League’s Frolunda HC. It was there that he really began to turn heads, surpassing Henrik Lundqvist’s club record of seven shutouts by one. He posted a SEL-best 1.67 GAA and .941 save percentage, while being nominated for the rookie of the year.

The following year, Andersen could have been in line to backup Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltender Cam Ward, perhaps even succeed him down the road. At worst, he looked destined to be a strong addition to the Checkers.

But general manager Jim Rutherford and Andersen’s agent couldn’t come to terms on a deal before the deadline, and he re-entered the draft in 2012.

“We tried to sign Frederik to a contract, and made him aware that we felt there was an opportunity here for him to earn one of our two NHL spots during training camp,” Rutherford said at the time.

No official explanation was ever given by Andersen’s camp. At the time, though, there looked to be a backlog of goaltenders in front of him. Mike Murphy had yet to announce his intent to leave for the KHL and John Muse was coming off a strong AHL debut, likely to earn a contract. Even Justin Peters hadn’t hit free agency yet. In Carolina, Ward and Brian Boucher had been entrenched as the duo.

But things change. Murphy fled for the KHL, Muse spent most of 2012-13 in the ECHL, and Boucher got hurt, eventually getting dealt to Philadelphia, leaving Peters to be brought back at the last minute.

Flashing forward even more, Ward and new backup Dan Ellis would go on to suffer injuries in 2013‘s shortened season, leaving Peters as the starter for a stretch. Andersen had the opportunity, he just didn’t know it.

A New Start

Andersen was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2012’s third round and put together a very good North American debut for the Norfolk Admirals, becoming one of the top goaltenders in the AHL. Ironically, however, he found himself stuck in yet another logjam. For the past six seasons, Jonas Hiller has been a steadying presence in Anaheim’s net while Viktor Fasth came out of nowhere to post excellent numbers a year ago.

Both are 31 and with Hiller’s deal expiring next summer, room could be made for Andersen in Anaheim as soon as 2014. Ward, on the other hand, is signed for several more years but has had a revolving door of backups in his time as a starter. Either way, it appears, Andersen would have had a chance to make an impact.

If he goes on to be half the goaltender that Lundqvist was, it will have been an opportunity wasted. The ‘Canes have no apparent successor to Ward, and everything points to Andersen being more than capable of filling that role. He stopped 27 of 30 shots in the 4-2 loss and looked every bit the player the Hurricanes hoped he’d be when they selected him in 2010.

“We are very disappointed that he chose not to join our organization. Prior to him changing his agent, we had every indication that he was very interested in being a part of the Carolina Hurricanes.”

  • Tags
  • Frederik Andersen
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Facebook Comments

Editor’s Picks
4 NHL Backup Goalies Who Should Be Starters

4 NHL Backup Goalies Who Should Be Starters

10687
7 Biggest NHL Players in Today's Game

7 Biggest NHL Players in Today's Game

64848
Recent Posts
Dec 15th 12:15 AM
Minnesota Wild

Staal Nets Pair, Wild Stay Hot at Home by Beating Flyers 4-1

Dec 14th 9:55 PM
Dallas Stars

Khudobin Helps Stars Beat Predators for 4th Win in 5 Games

Dec 14th 7:45 PM
Column

The Wild’s Week: Kicking off the Weekend Right

Dec 14th 7:00 PM
Anaheim Ducks

Ducks Beat Rangers in Shootout After Lindholm Ties It Late

Dec 14th 6:42 PM
Calgary Flames

James Reimer Makes 32 Saves, Hurricanes Beat Flames 4-0; Calgary Win Streak Over

Dec 14th 5:50 PM
Arizona Coyotes

Making Sense of the Hall to Arizona Rumors

Dec 14th 4:05 PM
Buffalo Sabres

Isles Extend Home Streak to 6 with 3-2 OT Win over Sabres

Dec 14th 3:56 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Duclair Completes Hat Trick in Overtime as Senators Edge Blue Jackets 4-3

Dec 14th 3:25 PM
Archives

Neal Broten Trade to New Jersey

Dec 14th 3:05 PM
New Jersey Devils

Blues Should Be Careful With Hall Trade

Stay in Touch
Contact Us

Via our Newsletters
RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Our Partners
HFBoards

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

Join over 18 000 Subscribers of our free bi-weekly Newsletter.

© The Hockey Writers 2018. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • Atlantic Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Metropolitan Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Dallas Stars
    • Minnesota Wild
    • Nashville Predators
    • St Louis Blues
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • Pacific Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle NHL
    • Vegas Golden Knights
    • Vancouver Canucks
  • Store
  • The THW Archives
  • Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • The Goalie Page
  • NHL Salary Cap Information
  • Join Our Team
  • Search THW