Hutchinson returns to the Leafs
According to Sportsnet reporter Chris Johnston, the Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed goaltender Michael Hutchinson to a two-year, two-way contract which pays him $725,000 at the NHL level.
Hutchinson, 30, was the Leafs backup netminder for the majority of the 2019-20 season before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline. In 15 games with the Leafs last season, he posted a cringeworthy 3.66 goals against average (GAA) and a .886 save percentage (SV%). Non surprisingly given those numbers, his record was also very disappointing for a talented Leafs squad at 4-9-1.
General manager Kyle Dubas realized his team's need for a more reliable backup and acquired Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jack Campbell, which resulted in Hutchinson being demoted to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL before being dealt to the Avalanche. His play was much better after the deal, posting a 1.00 GAA and a .944 SV% in one regular season game with Colorado, as well as a 2.75 GAA and a .910 SV% in four playoff starts.
This deal seemed very surprising when first announced, given the fact the Leafs had already added a third string netminder in former San Jose Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell earlier in free agency. However, as Johnston went on to mention, Dell will be required to pass through waivers, so Hutchinson is simply insurance in case a team is to claim Dell. If Dell goes unclaimed, the Leafs will just have a lot of goalie depth. There are certainly worse problems for a team to have.
shownhl_10588_shownhl
| G | A | PTS | ||
| William Nylander | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alex Tuch | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Nic Dowd | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Connor McDavid | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Mikhail Sergachev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Auston Matthews | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Shane Wright | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Bowen Byram | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Knies | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Andrew Mangiapane | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Aliaksei Protas | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Provorov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 55 | 38 | 14 | 3 | 79 | |
Capitals | 53 | 35 | 11 | 7 | 77 | |
Oilers | 53 | 33 | 16 | 4 | 70 | |
Stars | 53 | 34 | 18 | 1 | 69 | |
Hurricanes | 54 | 32 | 18 | 4 | 68 | |
Golden Knights | 54 | 31 | 17 | 6 | 68 | |
Panthers | 55 | 32 | 20 | 3 | 67 | |
Maple Leafs | 53 | 32 | 19 | 2 | 66 | |
Wild | 54 | 31 | 19 | 4 | 66 | |
Devils | 55 | 30 | 19 | 6 | 66 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||