ST. JOHN’S — Even though he may be his team’s most important player, Frederik Andersen tends to blend into the background on these Maple Leafs.



Maybe that’s because of all the star power. Maybe that’s because Andersen, despite standing 6-foot-4 with bright red hair, is more on the reserved side. Whatever the case, the 29-year-old remains hugely critical to the Leafs’ cause, with the power to drive a Stanley Cup run or imperil it.



In a conversation with The Athletic, the Leafs’ No. 1 goaltender attached a number to his ideal workload this season, shined light on how he and the Leafs measure his job performance (it’s not save percentage!) and detailed what he thinks will make Auston Matthews a good captain if he draws the honour.



What was the most interesting thing you did in the offseason?



(Long pause). I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t that interesting if I can’t come up with...