The first day of free agency was eventful for the Edmonton Oilers. Once Darnell Nurse was traded to the San Jose Sharks, the free-agent signings started popping up on the newsfeed.

In one of the Oilers’ final signings on July 1, it was announced that Stanley Cup–winning netminder Frederik Andersen was coming to Oil Country on a one-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $2.8 million.

That said, Oilers GM Stan Bowman mentioned on “Oilers Now” that head coach Mike Babcock played a role in helping to acquire Andersen, as the goaltender previously played under him with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2016 to 2020.

While there were questions about whether Babcock’s presence behind the bench could impact free-agent interest in Edmonton, it instead appeared to have a positive effect with the new goaltender, given his previous relationship with the coach in Toronto.

By all accounts, the two developed a strong connection during their Maple Leafs days, with the head coach playing a big part in helping Andersen work through early struggles and find success, which we’ll dive into below.

The Maple Leafs acquired Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks in June 2016, in exchange for a first-round draft pick and a second-round draft pick and on the same day they signed him to a five-year $25 million contract extension, which was a big payday for a netminder with just 125 regular-season games under his belt.

However, Andersen had a slow start to the 2016–17 season. In his first month in Toronto, he lost five of his first seven starts while posting a .873 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.71 goals-against average (GAA).

At the time, Andersen admitted that his struggles at the start of the 2016–17 campaign were largely mental. The pressure of playing in a hockey hotbed like Toronto got the best of him, along with trying to live up to the big contract. The netminder occasionally struggled to reset after difficult starts, and his lowest point came after giving up seven goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 25, 2016.

However, a meaningful conversation with Babcock helped settle him the day after he surrendered seven goals.

It was reported at the time that Babcock reinforced his confidence in his netminder and encouraged the idea that the fans in Toronto would get behind him. He also suggested ways to mentally reset away from the rink, including distraction methods to take his mind off hockey.

For Andersen, that meant turning to Netflix, with the goaltender noting that Suits was his favourite show at the time.

Jonas Siegel also noted that Andersen was receptive to the advice from his coach and took it to heart, particularly the idea of separating hockey from life off the ice. As a result, Andersen’s turnaround was nearly immediate.

He won four of his next five starts and went 8-4-0 over the next month, with Babcock saying of his netminder at the time, “You just try to do good things and believe in your people and good things will happen. He’s our guy. We all know it.”

After the slow start in Toronto in 2016-17, Andersen bounced back following the productive chat with his coach, posting a 33–16–14 record on the season — with his 33 wins ranking eighth-most in the league — along with a 2.67 GAA, a .918 SV%, and four shutouts, helping lead Toronto to its first playoff berth since the 2012–13 NHL season.

Also, the coach-player relationship tightened when Babcock travelled to Denmark and visited Andersen.

After the Maple Leafs’ Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins in the first round in 2018, it was reported by Chris Johnston that Babcock visited Andersen the following month in Denmark. At Andersen’s childhood home, the two discussed what is required from a No. 1 goaltender to withstand the two-month grind of the playoffs, and Babcock also challenged Andersen to take on an even greater leadership role with the Maple Leafs.

Andersen’s parents were also involved in the discussions, and over coffee and traditional Danish pastries, the netminder felt he gained a better understanding of Babcock as a person. Jonas Siegel also noted that Andersen was struck by his coach’s approach to life and work, particularly his meticulous preparation. The goaltender said at the time:

It seemed like Andersen took Babcock’s message to heart once again. The following season, he posted another strong campaign for the Maple Leafs, going 36–16–7, while posting a 2.77 GAA and a .917 SV%, though they were once again ousted by the Bruins in the first round.

Overall, Andersen played for Babcock for four seasons, averaging a .916 SV% and a 2.78 GAA in that span, and consistently ranked near the top of the NHL in games played under the coach.

In 2016–17, Andersen played in 66 games, the second-most in the NHL behind only the Oilers’ Cam Talbot, who appeared in 73. In 2017–18, he again played in 66 games, third-most in the league, setting a career-high with 38 wins — a Maple Leafs franchise record that still stands. In total, Andersen appeared in 270 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs.

Leading up to the Oilers’ hiring of Babcock, the negative stories stood out most, with his abrasive coaching style reportedly rubbing some players the wrong way — concerns that still shouldn’t be ignored.

That said, there are also positive stories about Babcock.

For example, I previously wrote about Babcock and Zach Hyman, where Babcock first took notice of Hyman’s work ethic while playing at the University of Michigan, which later led the head coach to slot him on the top line alongside Auston Matthews during their time in Toronto.

And then there’s this one with Andersen. Babcock helped him work through early mindset struggles in Toronto, developed a strong relationship with the player, and ultimately played a role in the netminder registering the fifth-most wins in Maple Leafs franchise history.

Now, putting it all together, it gives a clearer picture of what Bowman meant when he said Babcock played a role in acquiring Andersen. From what I gather, he absolutely did, with the netminder likely looking forward to reuniting with a coach he had a strong relationship with, by all accounts, and under whom he experienced a lot of success, including a career-high 38 wins in 2017–18.

That said, Andersen at a $2.8 million AAV looks like a solid low-risk, high-reward signing at a good price for the Oilers, and it gives them insurance if Tristan Jarry falters or if Devon Levi isn’t quite ready to be a full-time NHLer.

Sure, Andersen is coming off the lowest save percentage (.874 SV%) of his career in the regular-season with the Carolina Hurricanes, but you can’t ignore his work last playoffs, where he was huge in the Cup run, going 13–2 with a 1.72 GAA and a .917 SV%.

The hope is that, if healthy, Andersen can tap into that level of play for the Oilers in the playoffs, and it also helps that he’s reunited with a former coach who previously brought out the best in him.