After Steve Mason went down, the Winnipeg Jets turned to Michael Hutchinson to be their backup goalie. He played his first NHL outing this season to let Hellebuyck rest, showing a solid performance.
Tampa Bay, at the time and still are the first placed team in the NHL. Steve Mason had just gone down with another concussion while Michael Hutchinson has been lights out in the AHL. It was finally a perfect combination for the Jets to bring him back up.
The Jets have struggled to mantain a reliable backup for Hellebuyck which is very scary. Bringing Hutch up was a test to see whether he could be their man. He’s accomplished a whole lot in the AHL this season, so it was quite exciting for me to see if he could make it.
Performance Vs. Tampa
The Winnipeg Jets squared off against Tampa in a battle showing off two of the top teams in the NHL. We were down a few guys from injuries and we threw Hutchinson in net.
Hutchinson was a little shaky, but who can blame him. It’s his first NHL game back in a long time and he was undoubtedly nervous. Although he bobbled the puck a few times and either recovered or got bailed out.
Hutchinson managed a solid .958 Save Percentage, only allowing a single goal. He was named the second star of the matchup. We also must remember, the Jets threw him out in the crease against Tampa. THE Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s not easy to do for any goalie, nevermind a goalie who hasn’t started an NHL game this season.
The Injury
Only a few days ago, the Winnipeg Jets announced they would be assigning Michael Hutchinson to Injured Reserve due to a concussion. This is a setback, and some say it’s major. I happen to disagree. In my opinion it’s unfortunate, but he shouldn’t have an issue when he returns to the lineup.
How he fits in
I don’t feel Eric Comrie has proven himself to be a backup, never mind the starter he’s expected to be. He’s simply filling the place of an injured goalie. Hutchinson likely will be surpassed by the young Comrie one day, but that day has yet to come.
Steve Mason has done basically everything the Jets hoped he wouldn’t and isn’t the answer to our goaltending. He’s not reliable enough yet. Hopefully it will change, but you never know.
Hutchinson deserves more time. People are too quick to judge sometimes. He plays one game, even wins with an unreal save percentage, and can’t catch a break from anyone. He’s probably proved himself more than either one of Comrie or Mason, so I think we need to sit back and give him a chance.
Next: Michael Hutchinson debuts vs. Tampa
As for now, we’ll just have to wait his concussion out before seing him in the crease again.