The benefits of Michael Hutchinson being sent down to the Manitoba Moose outweigh the potential cons. There is a scare among Winnipeg Jets fans concerning the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. The thought is that attempting to send Hutchinson down to the AHL means potentially losing Connor Hellebuyck to Las Vegas. This scare is unnecessary. Given the goaltender market and his mediocre skill, would Michael Hutchinson clear waivers? There is no reason to believe he wouldn’t.
Michael Hutchinson Would Likely Clear Waivers
Expansion Draft Requirements
Protecting Connor Hellebuyck is priority number one for the Jets. He’s entering his third pro season, meaning he loses his Expansion Draft exemption. In order to protect him, the Jets must expose a goaltender under contract in 2018 for the 2017 Expansion Draft. If not, they must expose a goaltender who becomes a restricted free agent at the end of his current contract.
Signing Hutchinson to a two-year deal this off-season made him eligible for exposure. Ideally, the Jets would roll with him as Hellebuyck’s backup for the 2016-17 season. But given the organization’s notoriously loyal relationship with netminder Ondrej Pavelec, this outcome is highly unlikely.
Here lies the problem. Hellebuyck, the Jets best option in net, is waiver exempt. Hutchinson isn’t.
It is vital for Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie‘s development that they see significant playing time this year. Hellebuyck in the NHL, Comrie in the AHL. Sending Hellebuyck down would be detrimental to Comrie’s potential. Being a minor league backup gives him very little room to develop. This move would also provide the big club with two undesirable options in net.
Goaltender Market
Putting Hellebuyck’s expansion shield on waivers is a risk, but a very small risk. When blinded by the scare of losing Hutchinson, it’s easy to ignore the lack of an NHL goaltender market. 24 of the other 29 teams already have two or more non-waiver exempt goalies on their roster. None of these teams are able to claim Hutchinson and fill an open roster spot with him.
Four teams do have waiver exempt goalies on their roster. The Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins have John Gibson and Matt Murray, respectively. These two of course are absolute locks to play in the NHL. The Tampa Bay Lightning have Andrei Vasilevskiy, whose impressive 2016 postseason assures him an NHL roster spot as well. Vasilevskiy’s high danger save percentage is already higher than Ben Bishop‘s. This makes 27 teams with no room for Hutchinson.
The Nashville Predators have a bit of a wildcard in Marek Mazanec. Mazenec has stepped in for an injured Pekka Rinne in the past and done a plausible job. Inconsistency at the AHL level makes a question mark, though the Predators are comfortable with him or Juuse Saros playing in a backup role this season.
Sharks Are The Biggest Threat
The San Jose Sharks have a vacant backup spot, though they are better off giving it to someone from within the organization like Aaron Dell. San Jose’s projected cap space sits at $378,832. Hutchinson’s AAV is $1,150,000, whereas Dell’s is a measly $625,000. Furthermore, Zachary DeVine of Last Word on Hockey spoke with Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson, who claims that their backup job will be given internally. Given the team’s cap situation, it’s safe to take this statement at face value.
Scott Wedgewood of the New Jersey Devils also requires waivers if Keith Kinkaid is chosen to backup Cory Schneider. Interchangeable with Hutchinson talent wise, Wedgewood makes more sense for a team to claim monetarily. He carries a cap hit of $587,000.
$200,000 of Hutchinson’s salary would unfortunately count towards the Jets’ cap if sent down. This is affordable for them, though, especially if Jacob Trouba ends up sitting the year without a contract.
What the Jets Should Do
The panic over losing Hutchinson is likely unwarranted. Remember, this is the same guy the Boston Bruins let go for nothing after a satisfactory stint with their AHL affiliate.
The absolute worst case scenario is that the Jets do in fact lose Hutchinson to a team like the Predators. From here they’d have to trade for a goalie later in the season, or sign a Karri Ramo or Ray Emery. This would not be the end of the world, and would be better than having Comrie’s minutes depleted. They lose a player whose ceiling in the NHL is as a backup, and provide the best possible situations for the important pieces of their future.
Sending Pavelec down instead is the best case scenario. His $3,900,000 salary would count towards the cap also, but at this point, cutting their losses is by far preferable to committing to him and his contract. Realistically, this won’t happen. The Jets may start the year off with a Pavelec/Hutchinson tandem.
Don’t bet against the Jets not sending Hutchinson down. But at the same time, don’t worry about the possibility of him needing to clear waivers.
Salary and contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.
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