Frederik Andersen expected to be ready for Maple Leafs' opener

Frederik Andersen is taking on an increased workload for the Toronto Maple Leafs in advance of opening night.

The prized offseason acquisition is expected to make starts Thursday versus the Montreal Canadiens and Saturday versus the Detroit Red Wings, and the expectation is that he'll be ready for the season opener Wednesday versus the Ottawa Senators, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.

Toronto will host Detroit on Friday as it continues through the back-loaded portion of its preseason schedule.

Andersen pulled out of the World Cup after suffering an upper-body injury in an Olympic qualification match early last month.