Veteran NHL goaltender Frederik Andersen shared his reaction after signing a free-agent contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
Fresh off winning the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes, the Oilers signed Andersen to a one-year, $1 million contract with up to $1.8 million in performance bonuses.
For an Oilers club that is looking to break through under new head coach Mike Babcock and win the Stanley Cup, signing a proven winner like Andersen is a big get for the franchise, and the goalie is also very excited about his new beginnings up in Edmonton.
Frederik Andersen Shares Reaction to Joining Oilers
On Monday, Andersen spoke to reporters and shared his excitement for joining his fourth NHL club after previous stops in Anaheim, Toronto, and Carolina.
“Edmonton’s been knocking on the door for a while now. Obviously, it’s a team that’s got aspirations to try to win, and they’ve been close. It would be really awesome to help the team to get over the hump, and I think they’re very serious about it. I’m really excited about that opportunity,” Andersen said.
The 36-year-old Dane confirmed that he took less money with the Oilers this season with the hopes of giving the team more salary cap flexibility that they can utilize to improve the rest of their roster.
“The deal is structured in a way that’s going to help a team with some flexibility in terms of the bonuses they can put forward to next year. I think that’s one thing that makes it exciting to go there is that they want to make sure they can put the best team on the ice and try to get over that final hump,” Andersen said.
Edmonton Going With Three Goalies
Along with Andersen, the Oilers also have Tristan Jarry and newly acquired Devon Levi on their 23-man roster.
While most NHL teams go with two goalies, Oilers GM Stan Bowman has confirmed his club will go with a three-goalie system to open the year, something that Andersen is open to doing as he believes it will keep him fresher with the league going to an 84-game regular season next year.
“I’m definitely happy to be part of a good goalie rotation. I think we can get a lot out of each other, especially with the schedule being a little different than it was the last few years. I think it’s a new thing in the NHL – you gotta keep everyone fresh and get the best out of each other that way. I think that’s something that’s going to be not a day-to-day thing, but something we’ll have to manage. The schedule, it’s been very different from what it used to be, and I think the game has changed too as well. It makes it more demanding to play a lot of games and still perform the way you want to do it. However it plays out, it’s tough to predict, but I’m ready to support the other guys and obviously play when called upon,” Andersen said.
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