Michael Hutchinson was so lightly regarded in the summer of 2013 that the Boston Bruins made the decision to let him walk as a restricted free agent. Today, less than two years later, Hutchinson is the NHL’s save percentage leader and appears poised to relegate Ondrej Pavelec to the No. 2 slot in the Winnipeg Jets’ goaltending rotation.
In one sense it’s surprising that a former ECHL’er who was available for the price of an NHL contract not all that long ago is playing so well. In another sense it isn’t because Hutchinson has performed well all down the line.
Originally a third-round pick of the Bruins in 2008, Hutchinson had caught the attention of scouts with a strong performance down the stretch in his draft year. Listed 18th among North American goalies in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, he jumped all the way to fifth in that agency’s final list. At the time Central Scouting’s Al Jensen described him as a “balanced goaltender” with a range of strengths:
He is very quick; he challenges well and has a great glove. He is a very balanced goaltende ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Boston Bruins Castoff Michael Hutchinson Stealing Winnipeg Jets’ No. 1 Job
December 29th, 2014 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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