{"id":1603,"date":"2016-10-04T11:00:47","date_gmt":"2016-10-04T15:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=1603"},"modified":"2016-10-04T09:28:55","modified_gmt":"2016-10-04T13:28:55","slug":"michael-hutchinson-clear-waivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2016\/10\/04\/michael-hutchinson-clear-waivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Hutchinson Would Likely Clear Waivers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The benefits of Michael Hutchinson<\/a><\/strong> being sent down to the Manitoba Moose<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0outweigh the potential cons. There is a scare among Winnipeg Jets<\/strong><\/a> fans concerning the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft<\/strong>.\u00a0The thought is that\u00a0attempting to send\u00a0Hutchinson\u00a0down to the AHL\u00a0means\u00a0potentially losing\u00a0Connor Hellebuyck<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>to Las Vegas. This scare is unnecessary. Given the goaltender market and his mediocre skill, would Michael Hutchinson clear waivers?\u00a0There is no reason to believe he wouldn’t.<\/p>\n

Michael Hutchinson Would Likely Clear Waivers<\/h2>\n

Expansion Draft Requirements<\/h3>\n

Protecting Connor Hellebuyck<\/a> is priority number one for the Jets. He’s entering his third pro season, meaning he\u00a0loses his Expansion Draft exemption. In order to protect him, the Jets must\u00a0expose\u00a0a goaltender\u00a0under 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.<\/p>\n

Signing Hutchinson to a two-year deal this off-season made him eligible for exposure.\u00a0Ideally, the Jets would roll with him\u00a0as Hellebuyck’s backup for the 2016-17 season. But\u00a0given the organization’s notoriously loyal relationship with netminder Ondrej Pavelec<\/a><\/strong>, this outcome is highly unlikely.<\/p>\n

Here lies the problem.\u00a0Hellebuyck, the Jets best option in net, is waiver exempt. Hutchinson isn’t.<\/p>\n

It is vital for\u00a0Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie<\/strong><\/a>‘s development that they\u00a0see 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\u00a0room to develop. This move would also provide the big club with two undesirable options in net.<\/p>\n

Goaltender Market<\/h3>\n

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\u00a0market. 24 of the other 29 teams\u00a0already have two or more non-waiver exempt goalies on their roster. None of these teams\u00a0are\u00a0able to claim Hutchinson and\u00a0fill an open roster spot with\u00a0him.<\/p>\n

Four teams do<\/em>\u00a0have waiver exempt\u00a0goalies on their roster. The Anaheim Ducks<\/strong><\/a> and Pittsburgh Penguins<\/strong><\/a> have John Gibson<\/a><\/strong> and Matt Murray<\/a><\/strong>, respectively. These two of course are absolute locks to play in the NHL. The\u00a0Tampa Bay Lightning<\/strong><\/a> have\u00a0Andrei Vasilevskiy<\/a><\/strong>, whose impressive 2016 postseason\u00a0assures him an NHL roster spot as well.\u00a0Vasilevskiy’s\u00a0high danger save percentage<\/a> is already higher than\u00a0Ben Bishop<\/a><\/strong>‘s. This makes 27 teams with no room for Hutchinson.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Nashville Predators<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>have a bit of a wildcard in\u00a0Marek Mazanec<\/a><\/strong>. Mazenec has stepped in for an injured Pekka Rinne<\/a><\/strong> in the past and done a plausible job. Inconsistency at the AHL level\u00a0makes a question mark, though\u00a0the Predators are comfortable with him or\u00a0Juuse Saros<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0playing in a backup role this season.<\/p>\n

Sharks Are The Biggest Threat<\/h3>\n

The\u00a0San Jose Sharks<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0have a vacant backup spot, though they are better off giving it to someone\u00a0from within the organization like Aaron Dell<\/strong><\/a>. San Jose’s projected cap space sits at $378,832. Hutchinson’s AAV is $1,150,000, whereas\u00a0Dell’s is a measly $625,000.\u00a0Furthermore,\u00a0Zachary DeVine<\/strong><\/a> of Last Word on Hockey\u00a0spoke with Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson<\/a><\/strong>, who claims\u00a0that their backup job will be given internally<\/a>. Given the team’s cap situation, it’s safe to take this statement at face value.<\/p>\n

Scott Wedgewood<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of the\u00a0New Jersey Devils<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0also requires waivers if\u00a0Keith Kinkaid<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is chosen to backup Cory Schneider<\/a><\/strong>. Interchangeable with Hutchinson talent wise, Wedgewood makes more sense for a team to claim monetarily. He carries a cap hit of $587,000.<\/p>\n

$200,000 of Hutchinson’s salary would unfortunately count towards the Jets’ cap if sent down. This is affordable for them, though, especially if\u00a0Jacob Trouba<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0ends up sitting the year without a contract.<\/p>\n

What the Jets Should Do<\/h3>\n

The panic over losing Hutchinson is likely unwarranted. Remember, this is the same guy the\u00a0Boston Bruins<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>let go for nothing after a\u00a0satisfactory stint with their AHL affiliate.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0sign a Karri Ramo<\/a><\/strong> or Ray Emery<\/a><\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Don’t bet against\u00a0the Jets not sending Hutchinson down. But at the same time, don’t\u00a0worry about\u00a0the possibility of him needing to clear waivers.<\/p>\n

Salary and contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n