That the Winnipeg Jets have, on paper, the worst goaltending in the NHL is pretty much beyond dispute. Ondrej Pavelec has had three bad years since the franchise relocated to Manitoba; his .915 even-strength save percentage in that span ranks 47th of the 55 goalies to play at least 2,000 minutes over that time frame. His presumptive backup, Michael Hutchinson, split time between the ECHL and AHL in 2013-14 (caveat: He was good in both) and has just three NHL games on his resume.
Hypothetically, Pavelec could rebound to his 2010-11 form, when he posted a .914 save percentage. Alternatively, in the space of a little over a year, Hutchinson could go from not getting a qualifying offer from Boston to the ECHL to the AHL to an NHL starting job. Realistically, though, neither scenario is terribly likely.
How did Winnipeg find itself in this mess?
Much of the problem goes back to June 2012, when the Jets awarded Pavelec a five-year contract at $3.9 million per season. The term on that deal sealed a long-term marriage between player and team, while the money made it extremely difficult to relegate him to a No. 2 role ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jonathan Willis
Cautionary Tale: How the Winnipeg Jets Ended Up with the NHL’s Worst Goaltending
September 21st, 2014 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
Advertisement