Being able to actively play in eleven years at the highest level of hockey is quite the accomplishment, even for a backup goaltender. That was exactly how long former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson spent in the NHL before officially announcing his retirement on Monday. This came just over a week later after Maple Leafs fan favourite Jack Campbell stepped away from hockey as well.
Hutchinson was originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the third round back in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. However, he never made it to the big show until he became a part of the Winnipeg Jets organization in 2013-14. It was with the Jets where Hutchinson played a prominent role as the backup to Ondrej Pavelec, and later Connor Hellebuyck.
Another Maple Leafs goalie has retired
However, his role would be drastically reduced in his proceeding professional years of hockey as he served mainly as a third-stringer, including during his two stints with the Maple Leafs. Hutchinson first joined Toronto during the 2018-19 season when the Leafs acquired him from the Florida Panthers for a fifth-round draft pick. He would struggle to just a 6-12-1 record in 20 games for Toronto and would ultimately be supplanted by Campbell in 2019-20 when the latter was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in a trade.
Now no longer with a role with the Maple Leafs, Hutchinson was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Calle Rosen. However, after a brief stay with the Avalanche, Hutchinson would find his way back to Toronto in free agency for a second stint on a two-way contract where he would spend the bulk of his time with the Marlies to serve as insurance goaltending depth for the Leafs. He managed to get into 10 more games with the NHL club between 2020-21 and 2021-22 and would finish his Maple Leafs career with a 10-15-2 record with a 3.18 GAA and .898 save percentage in 30 total games of action.
From there, Hutchinson would also make stops with the Vegas Golden Knights, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings in the NHL, in addition to SaiPa Lappeenranta in the Finnish League before being out of hockey for the 2025-26 year. In total, he compiled a 57-62-18 record with a respectable 2.94 GAA and .902 save percentage in 154 total games that included 127 starts for his 11-year NHL career.
At just the young age of 36, we wish Hutchinson the best in his future endeavours as Leafs fans thank him for his solid contributions during his brief tenure with the club.
Add us as a preferred source on Google