CHICAGO – The backup goaltending carousel with the Maple Leafs continues.
After another subpar performance from Michael Hutchinson, the Leafs on Monday placed the netminder on waivers.
Hutchinson struggled against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night, allowing three goals on the Hawks’ first six shots in what eventually became a 5-4 Leafs loss.
One could win an argument that the Leafs have played poorly in the second game of back-to-back sets, going 0-4-1, but it’s also true that Hutchinson has not provided the kind of goaltending any team requires from the backup position.
In six games, Hutchinson has a .879 save percentage and a 4.44 goals-against average and has not recorded a win.
If Hutchinson clears, we expect he would be sent to the Toronto Marlies, with Kasimir Kaskisuo being recalled.
Kaskisuo has been excellent for the Marlies, going 6-1-1 with a .928 save percentage and a 2.13 goals-against average.
The contracts are a wash. Hutchinson, who is an unrestricted free agent next season, carries an annual average value of US$700,000 while Kaskisuo’s AAV is $675,000.
After the Leafs lost on Sunday, we asked coach Mike Babcock where his confidence level stood with Hutchinson.
“I think the big thing to do always after a game instead of me commenting a whole bunch, I always try to watch the game and see where it’s at and go through every situation,” Babcock said. “There was a couple, on the power-play goal (by Jonathan Toews), we left the net, there was another we left the net. I put those on us, not on the goaltender, but we will have a look at it.”
Auston Matthews, meanwhile, said twice after the game that the Leafs “hung (Hutchinson) out to dry.”
Of his own performance, Hutchinson said: “Five goals (against), never great. First period, they made some good plays, they had some high-end chances, some high-end skilled players, first one was a little bit of an unlucky bounce, from there the fifth goal, looking back on that, that one stings a bit. A big save in the third period you would like to come up with knowing how well the guys are pushing. That’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to make that save to give us a chance to come away with at least a point.”
The Leafs have been unsettled at the backup spot after losing Curtis McElhinney on waivers to Carolina at the start of last season. Garret Sparks was inconsistent and outspoken through 2018-19, eventually being removed from the team before he was traded to Vegas in the off-season.
And now Hutchinson, who apparently will get a chance to find his game with the Marlies.
IN A GROOVE
As Mitch Marner takes at least the next four weeks to recover from a sprained right ankle, an injury suffered against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and identified in an MRI on Sunday, the Leafs’ top performers have to keep doing what they have been doing.
Matthews and William Nylander have found their stride on what has become the Leafs’ top line, with Matthews recording nine points in his past four games to move into the top six in National Hockey League scoring prior to games on Monday, and Nylander recording six points in his past four games.
Matthews, named the NHL’s second star of the week, has put his playmaking skills to good use with seven assists in those four games, and what’s further encouraging is Nylander’s goal-a-game pace in the past four. In total, Nylander has seven goals in 19 games, equalling the output he had in 54 games last season after signing on Dec. 1.
“Right now, (Nylander) is battling way harder so he has the puck way more,” Babcock said. “And you end up with more shots and then you score a bit and you get more confidence and now you are hitting your spot because you take the time you need to hit your spot.”
Indeed. Nylander’s shot is difficult for goalies to stop — when it’s not being fired high or wide.
“He’s hitting the net,” Matthews said. “That’s always a start. He has a great shot. Really nice release, he can make plays, can pass the puck, but he has a really underrated shot. When he is skating and moving, he is really good in transition.”
LOOSE LEAFS
When the Leafs return to practice on Tuesday at the Ford Performance Centre after a day off on Monday, we should have a clearer idea on the status of Zach Hyman, who could make his season debut on Wednesday in New York against the Islanders after recovering from knee surgery. “His consistency, the work ethic and detail he plays with and his skill set, what he does extremely well on the forecheck, in and around the net, defensively on the penalty kill, he’s a huge part of our team,” captain John Tavares said. “(From) a leadership standpoint too, the presence he brings, very calm, he has a headiness to him.” One bonus (if we can call it that) with the Marner injury is Hyman can be activated off long-term injured reserve and Marner placed on it, without further roster implications … Toronto’s 57 shots on goal against Chicago represented its most in a game since Nov. 23, 2009, when it tied the franchise record with 61 against the Islanders.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
