Former Maple Leafs goaltender signs PTO with the New Jersey Devils, reunites with Sheldon Keefe
Leafs fans may remember Michael Hutchinson for the brief time he was a member of their team, and the goaltender has now signed with the New Jersey Devils.
Goaltender Michael Hutchinson will get a new opportunity in camp with the New Jersey Devils, having just signed a PTO contract. Per Devils' President and GM Tom Fitzgerald, Hutchinson will report on September 18th with the rest of the team.
Michael Hutchinson is 34 and has played most recently with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's AHL affiliate, this past season. Over that span, he's posted a strong 14-14-3 record with two shutouts. He has played in 241 AHL games during his career that started in 2010-11. Over that time, he has 120 career wins with a save percentage of .914 and 17 career shutouts.
A third-round pick by the Boston Bruins at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Michael Hutchinson's NHL stops have included Winnipeg, Florida, Colorado, Columbus, Detroit, and, of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the Leafs, he was a trusted backup for former head coach Sheldon Keefe from 2018-2020. The former coach and goaltender will now be re-united in Jersey. While he usually plays behind the starter, he has always come through big when required to do so in big situations, like in 2019-20 when he relieved the team's injured starter Frederik Andersen and recorded five wins, with one of those wins being a shutout over the New York Islanders.
Arguably the most memorable of his feats perhaps came with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2020 playoffs where he was thrown into action as the third-string goalie. In a shocking turn of events, Michael Hutchinson helped the Avalanche on a deep run, recording two wins in the second round.
Michael Hutchinson has 154 games of NHL experience and six shutouts to his name, so he will be looking to impress in New Jersey's camp with the aim of adding more starts to his resume and providing the team with some much-needed veteran stability.
Source: NJ Devils Official Website
Hutchinson Signs PTO with Devils | RELEASE
Source: ESPN
Michael Hutchinson Stats
| POLL | ||
Were you a fan of Michael Hutchinson during his time with the Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 86 | 34.4 % |
| No | 164 | 65.6 % |
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