The Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to sign depth goaltender Zachary Sawchenko to a one-year deal, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News (Twitter link). Sawchenko became an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Vancouver Canucks following a one-year, two-way deal with the club.
Sawchenko spent the full contract with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, though he served as the team’s third-string goalie and only drew in to 12 games, split evenly between the regular season and playoffs. He was hot in the flashes he played in, ending the year with six wins and a .910 save percentage. That includes a standout performance in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, when Sawchenko posted a career-high 47 saves to propel Abbotsford to the second round.
But even with promising flashes, it was a down year for Sawchenko – just one season after his first season as a starter. Sawchenko – signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 – appeared in a career-high 41 games with the Chicago Wolves last season, after three seasons in backup roles. He didn’t find much of a groove in the spot, though, posting just 17 wins and a .895 save percentage. That performance pushed him back down the depth chart – a role he’s likely to maintain with the Blue Jackets, who already have Nolan Lalonde and Jet Greaves signed to contracts that could push them into an AHL role.
Nolan Lalonde looks to be Kingston’s starter after being traded to them in the OHL Saginaw.
Lalonde is an overager.
Good signing for Cleveland, they did not have a backup as Malcolm Subbam was a UFA.