TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 7: Michael Hutchinson #30 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during warm up before a game against the Nashville Predators at the Scotiabank Arena on January 7, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
Michael Hutchinson
Hutchinson spent significant time with the Leafs last season due in part with nagging injuries at the goalie position and when Sparks was suspended by the team prior to the playoffs. So of all of the goalies in the conversation, Hutchinson has the most recent track with Babcock and one he would be the most familiar with.
In his brief stint, he registered a .900 SV%, a 2.87 GAA, a 14.06 xGA, and a .800 HDSV% at even strength. He also registered a 2-3 record and a shutout (as per HockeyDB), all in an effort to keep the team afloat during its most vulnerable time of the regular season.
Photo from HockeyViz.com
While his numbers weren’t impressive, this is indicative of the fact that his presence on the team wasn’t to become the Leafs backup. When the Leafs acquired Hutchinson back in December, it was done primarily to help the Marlies find a consistent goalie keep their season alive.
It’s safe to say the move worked as he excelled to the tune of a .910 SV%, a 2.70 GAA, a 14-7-1 record, and 2 shutouts to help propel the team into the postseason. While he wasn’t the goalie responsible for carrying the team to the third round (that honour goes to Kaskisuo), it cannot be ignored how critical the Hutchinson trade was for the Marlies.
So does this mean he has the backup position locked up? Not exactly, largely due to the fact that he has bounced between the NHL and AHL for the past two years. The last time he played more than 10 games was with the Winnipeg Jets in 2016-17 and his numbers that year were unimpressive, to say the least.
What he does have going for him is that he’s under contract for the upcoming campaign so he appears to be in both Babcock and Kyle Dubas’ corner somewhat. He also has a track record of being a reliable backup goalie with the Jets in the past.
All things considered, Hutchinson has a good chance of landing the gig but will likely fall into the same category of McElhinney of being used sparingly which will seemingly not alter Andersen’s workload that much.