NHL
Michael Hutchinson Signed on with the Florida Panthers
After losing Harri Sateri to free agency, Dale Tallon has signed a new third-string goalie. On Sunday, Michael Hutchinson signed and agreed to terms with the Florida Panthers. The former Winnipeg Jet goaltender only appeared in three games for Winnipeg last season, posting a 2-1-0 record and a .907 save percentage. However, Hutchinson spent most of his time last season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, the Jets affiliate. In the AHL, Hutchinson posted and .935 save percentage (2nd in the AHL) and allowed 2.08 goals a game (3rd in the AHL).
Michael Hutchinson was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 2008 draft. However, like his time in Winnipeg, he spent most of his days in the AHL playing for Providence. However, Hutchinson’s first season was slightly sluggish as he posted a 3.13 goals against average. Afterward, the Ontario native picked it up and posted a 2.36 goals against average and posted a .927 save percentage in 29 games the following season. During the rest of his career in Providence, Hutchinson’s save percentage never dropped below .910. After his career with the Bruins, he played one season for the St. John Ice Caps, the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate. He finished his days in St. John with a 2.30 goals against average and a .927 save percentage before he was traded to Winnipeg.
As a result, Hutchinson began playing as a backup goaltender for the Winnipeg Jets, playing in 102 career NHL games. in 2015, Hutchinson finished his first full NHL season with a 2.38 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. However, he began to struggle in future years. His save percentage tanked the following year to only .907 and was averaging 2.84 goals a game in 2016. In 2017, Hutchinson’s save percentage dropped even further to .903 and his goals-against average rose to 2.92. As previously mentioned, Hutchinson only appeared in three games for Winnipeg. After Steve Mason came to the team last season, he was sent down to the AHL to play for Manitoba.
Hutchinson’s contract is worth about $1.3 million, which will leave Florida with about $4.5 million left in cap room.
