Toronto Maple Leafs: Garret Sparks Set to Backup Game One

The ever-rotating carousel of goaltenders continues to turn for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On the eve of what may be the most pivotal playoff series of the Brendan Shannahan Era, the discussion surrounding the Maple Leafs is once again still focused on who will serve as the backup.

The fault for this, in some part, lies at the feet of the team.

Making the nearly unprecedented decision to effectively jettison a flailing Garret Sparks from the locker room for the purpose of undergoing an entire system reboot was sure to raise a few eyebrows. That’s no surprise. But the timing of the move, coming mere days before the postseason’s kick off, is what truly set the conversation into overdrive.

In the minutes following Sparks’ sudden departure, Michael Hutchinson; seen as a steadier and, therefore, a more preferable option with which to enter the most pressurized slate of the year, was recalled from the Toronto Marlies to fill the newly vacant stall.

As it turns out, that stall will have to wait for a game or two to welcome its newest resident.

Per reports, Sparks’ 10-day reclamation sentence will be put on temporary hold for the moment, as the 25-year-old will indeed serve as Frederik Andersen‘s understudy ahead of tonight’s Game One.

The key word, in this case, is temporary.

Returning Sparks to the team’s core rotation is a move made only out of necessity, as Hutchinson and his wife prepare for the imminent arrival of their newborn daughter. Once all parties are deemed healthy and accounted for, expectations are for Hutchinson to re-join the Maple Leafs once again, where he will remain for the foreseeable future.

Mike Babcock, in his post-practice media availability yesterday, confirmed as much.

While Hutchinson may not prove to be a gargantuan upgrade on Sparks, his presence will undoubtedly offer a sense of comfort to Toronto’s goaltending rotation. In stark contrast to his erratic counterpart, Hutchinson is a veteran netminder bearing a track record of lukewarm, if league-average, performance, with a 46-43-13 record compiled over six NHL seasons to date, and a .908 save percentage.

That’s as steady as it gets. And on the heels of a rollercoaster goaltending season, steadiness if exactly what the Maple Leafs could use.

Prior to his recent call-up, Hutchinson managed to string together a dazzling 14-5-1 record and .914 save percentage in 23 games as the Marlies’ starter. His late-December arrival effectively saved what was then threatening to be a lost season, affording Sheldon Keefe’s roster with the net presence they so sorely needed and, frankly, deserved.

Hutchinson returned to the Marlies full-time on January 14th, following a brief stint as Leafs’ starter. In the months since, the team has surged to a 20-8-5-2 record, successfully clinching their 8th consecutive postseason birth and breaking the 90-point barrier for the third straight season, in the process.

That almost certainly does not happen without the arrival of Hutchinson.

And while the 28-year-old likely won’t see the ice for the entirety of the Maple Leafs’ playoff run – barring an unmitigated catastrophe, at least – the simple thought of knowing that Hutchinson is their #2 may very well help Toronto’s players grip their sticks a little less tight.

Thanks for reading.

Stats courtesy of Hockeydb.com