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Michael Hutchinson

Winnipeg Jets Recall Goaltender Eric Comrie

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Another goaltender is injured for the Winnipeg Jets, as Michael Hutchinson had to leave last night’s game with an upper-body injury. The team has recalled Eric Comrie under emergency conditions to fill the backup role for the time being, while Hutchinson and Steve Mason remain sidelined. No word yet on how long Hutchinson will be out.

There is also no update yet on the status of Paul Stastny, who didn’t play in the game after suffering some sort of injury in warm up. The Jets were unable to hold off the onslaught of the Nashville Predators, and now sit six points back in the race for the Western Conference top seed. Winnipeg has dealt with goaltender injuries all season, and will have to continue to rely on Connor Hellebuyck to get them through the end of the season and into the playoffs.

Comrie has played two NHL games in his short career, but boasts a solid .918 save percentage at the AHL level this year. The 22-year old second-round pick has developed nicely for the organization over the last few years, and looks poised to take over as the club’s #3 option if Hutchinson goes somewhere else in free agency.

Steve Mason Out 2-3 Weeks With Knee Injury

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It’s been a season to forget for Winnipeg Jets goalie Steve Mason. Mason has suffered two concussions in 2017-18, one in November and one in January, missing a combined 28 games. Now he’s back on the shelf, after playing his first game since early January on Tuesday night, a shutout win against the New York Rangers. In the contest, Mason suffered a lower-body injury which, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, turned out to be a seriously tweaked knee.

In speaking with head coach Paul Maurice, Gulitti reports that Mason underwent surgery today and is expected to be out 2-3 weeks. Michael Hutchinson, who was recalled from the AHL on Thursday while Mason’s condition was still up in the air, will remain in Winnipeg to back up Connor Hellebuyck. 

Hellebuyck has not just helped to make up for the loss of Mason most of the year, but has thrived in his absence. Although Mason signed a two-year, $8.2MM with the Jets this past summer to presumably start in Winnipeg, that seems unlikely to ever happen given Hellebuyck’s emergence. The 24-year-old has blossomed into one of the top goalies in the league this season, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.38 GAA through 56 games already. Mason’s injury woes have certainly affected him – when healthy he has still struggled, posting a .906 save percentage and 3.18 GAA – but both his absence and poor performance have been non-factors for Winnipeg despite what many would have expected prior to the season.

Snapshots: Emergency Goalie, Lundqvist, Pettersson, College Free Agents

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The Winnipeg Jets may have called up Michael Hutchinson on paper, but they weren’t actually able to get him on the roster in time for their game tonight against the New Jersey Devils. According to the team, Hutchison’s flight into New York was delayed and he was unable to arrive to the game in time. As a result, the Jets were forced to sign an emergency backup to a tryout deal. The man behind Connor Hellebuyck tonight will be Zane Kalemba, a New Jersey native and a friend of Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler. Kalemba played junior hockey with Wheeler for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers and went on to star for Princeton University. Kalemba only retired from hockey in 2016, having spent time in the ECHL, CHL, and several European leagues. An experienced keeper who, most importantly, was nearby, will have to do for the Jets tonight.

  • A goalie in the tri-state area with a little more experience than Kalemba is New York Rangers superstar Henrik Lundqvist. In fact, when Lundqvist takes the ice tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he will tie former Tampa goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for the most NHL starts by a foreign-born goalie. The Rangers report that Lundqvist’s appearance, his 799th, is enough to share the top mark. When the Swedish keeper makes his next start, which could be as early as Saturday, he will not only reach a benchmark 800th appearance, but will also become the most experienced foreign keeper in NHL history.
  • Another Swede setting records is Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson. Pettersson, who was selected fifth overall last year by Vancouver, has been playing in the top Swedish pro league, the SHL, this season. After a four-point outburst today, the Canucks pointed out that Pettersson’s 55 points on the year set a new record for the most points by a player under 20 in SHL history. The Vaxjo Lakers forward snapped a 42-year-old record while also taking over the league scoring lead. That’s not too shabby for a young player who looks to be an absolute stud-in-the-making for the Canucks.
  • Some other young players looking to make an impact in the pros is the 2018 crop of college free agents. While Zach Whitecloud’s deal with Vegas today was the first NHL deal so far, a few other NCAA prospects have already hooked up with AHL teams for contracts and tryout agreements for the remainder of the season and could earn big-league deals if they impress. These transactions include Whitecloud’s Bemidji State teammate Kyle Bauman joining the Ontario Reign (LAK), the San Jose Barracuda (SJS) inking Alaska-Fairbanks’ Zach Frye, Yale’s Ryan Hitchcock going nearby to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI), the Chicago Wolves (VGK) adding Wisconsin’s Ryan Wagner, and both Derian Plouffe of Niagara and Josh Kestner of Alabama-Huntsville signing with the Toronto Marlies (TOR).

Minor Transactions : 03/08/18

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Some minor transactions from around the league:

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Michael Hutchinson, bringing up the goaltender once again as Steve Mason is dealing with a new injury. Mason suffered a lower-body injury at practice, but it’s not clear how long he’ll be out. Hutchinson will get a chance to backup Connor Hellebuyck once again.
  • Carolina has sent Lucas Wallmark back down to the minor leagues, where he’s done most of his damage this season. The 22-year old forward has one point in 11 games with the Hurricanes, but 36 in 32 games with the Charlotte Checkers.
  • Tomas Hyka is back up after a two day absence from the Vegas Golden Knights. While Reilly Smith deals with a minor injury and will miss tonight’s game, Hyka could get another chance to prove he belongs in the NHL. The 24-year old Czech forward has two points in six games with the Golden Knights this season
  • Josh Jooris has been recalled under emergency conditions by the Pittsburgh Penguins, as Bryan Rust and Dominik Simon deal with injuries. Jooris was acquired at the trade deadline for this type of situation, to give the Penguins some NHL experience that could step in in case of injury.

Trade Deadline Notes: Flames, Plekanec, Neal

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“Will GM Brad Treliving and the Calgary Flames ’pull a Hextall’?”, wonders the Calgary Sun’s Eric Francis with mere days left before the NHL Trade Deadline. Francis is referring to Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall, who recently acted quickly to acquire goaltender Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings when his top two goalies went down with long-term injuries. Treliving and the Flames are now in a similar position, with their one experienced keeper, Mike Smith, out with a groin injury and a return not imminent. Calgary is currently working with two rookie goalies, David Rittich and Jon Gillies, as they try to keep up in the Western Conference playoff race. If Treliving, like Hextall, feels that he owes his team a true starting-caliber goalie, he could hit the rental market for some help down the stretch. Options could include Buffalo’s Robin Lehner, an impending RFA and likely the top available target, Arizona’s Antti Raanta, if the Coyotes are willing to move him, a reunion with Chad Johnson, or even a lesser option albeit with more experience such as Michael Hutchinson or Andrew Hammond. However, as Francis points out after his conversation with Treliving, if the team continues to put forward lackluster performances in front of their young goalie tandem, perhaps paying the steep price to bring in an upgrade won’t be worth it. The situation is one worth monitoring as the deadline fast approaches.

  • One player expected to move before the deadline is career Canadien Tomas Plekanec. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that calls have been flooding in to Montreal GM Marc Bergevin, especially following the Derick Brassard news, inquiring into the cost of trading for the veteran center. Plekanec, 35, has seen his offense fall off dramatically over the past two seasons, but still plays a reliable two-way game and can still be an experienced asset for many teams. With the Canadiens far outside the playoff picture and Plekanec on an expiring contract, possibly headed for retirement, a deal will almost certainly be struck with an interested team. It seems the days are numbered on a relationship that began in 2003-04.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights placed James Neal on injured reserve today, per beat writer Steve Carp. While Neal is simply suffering from an illness right now, an undisclosed illness has also kept teammate Shea Theodore out of the lineup for more than a week. With forwards Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and William Carrier also on IR and an unclear picture of when Neal will return to action, one has to wonder if the Knights will take a longer look at the forward market before the deadline passes them by.

Injury Notes: Granlund, Hendricks, Hutchinson, Elliott

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The Vancouver Canucks took another injury hit when they announced that forward Markus Granlund will be out for a month with an ankle injury, which he suffered Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He landed awkwardly on his ankle after being bumped on the boards by Ryan Callahan.

The 24-year-old Granlund was expected to be a big contributor this season after a breakout season last year when he scored 19 goals. However, that hasn’t been the case this year. He has eight goals so far this year in 53 games and has seen less average ice time as he’s seeing almost a minute less than last year.

As reported earlier, the Canucks recalled Nikolay Goldobin from the Utica Comets of the AHL.

  • The Winnipeg Jets announced they have activated veteran center Matt Hendricks off of injured reserve and placed goaltender Michael Hutchinson on injured reserve to make room for him. Hendricks, who was signed to a one-year deal this offseason, was out with an upper body injury and has missed the past two games. The team’s fourth-line center, Hendricks has put up a solid season with four goals and eight assists. Hutchinson was placed on IR, retroactive to Feb. 6. He was called up to replace backup Steve Mason, who went down with a concussion. However, Hutchinson himself suffered a concussion in a pre-game skate on that date. Eric Comrie is filling in as an emergency backup.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers might be without starting goaltender Brian Elliott again after he had to leave Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. He actually left the game after the overtime period against Arizona and was replaced by Michal Neuvirth for the shootout. The team only just got Elliott back on Monday from a lower-body injury. Carchidi suspects that the veteran pulled a groin muscle before going down. He will be re-evaluated after tonight’s game against Vegas. The team announced they have recalled Alex Lyons from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to serve as the backup.

Injury Notes: Hutchinson, McCabe, Kuhnhackl

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Even though Connor Hellebuyck has been a revelation this season for the Winnipeg Jets, the goaltending position as a whole has been anything but solid. Steve Mason, brought in to battle for the starting job has suffered multiple concussions, and now his replacement Michael Hutchinson is in the same boat.

Hutchinson suffered the concussion in the pre-game skate on Tuesday according to Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun, and will be out indefinitely while Eric Comrie comes up to fill the role. Hutchinson is one of the more interesting goaltenders to watch over the next few months, as he heads towards unrestricted free agency.

  • In Buffalo, the Sabres’ season hasn’t gone according to plan. Expected to take a step forward with a healthy Jack Eichel and improved defense, the team is once again at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference. Now, Jake McCabe will be out for at least three weeks after undergoing surgery on his thumb. While there isn’t a ton left to play for this season in Buffalo, new head coach Phil Housley will use it to try and create some building blocks for the club going forward. With McCabe only signed for one more season after 2017-18, his role is far from certain.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have surged up to second in the Metropolitan Division, but will have to play without one of their most physical forwards for a while. Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports that Tom Kuhnhackl is out for multiple weeks after suffering an injury early in the game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Kuhnhackl is also a key penalty killer on the Penguins, a role that will have to be filled by someone else for the time being.

Winnipeg Jets Recall Michael Hutchinson To Start

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The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Michael Hutchinson to start tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, sending down Eric Comrie. Additionally, Adam Lowry has been activated from injured reserve while Jacob Trouba takes his place among the wounded.

Head coach Paul Maurice and the front office decided to give Connor Hellebuyck the night off after he participated in the All-Star festivities this past weekend, meaning Hutchinson will get his first opportunity of the season. That is very important for the 27-year old goaltender, as he is a pending unrestricted free agent and will take any opportunity to show that he belongs in the NHL.

Hutchinson is one of the more interesting cases over the next few weeks, as he’s been one of the best goaltenders in the minor leagues all season and has a history of relative success in the NHL. In 99 career games, he carries a .910 save percentage, though that is skewed by his extreme success early on in his career.

Still, he could be an option for a team looking to strengthen their goaltending depth before the deadline. If the Jets believe that Comrie and Steve Mason—currently dealing with the effects of his second concussion of the season—are enough depth behind Hellebuyck, they could sell Hutchinson to the highest bidder. Otherwise, he will be an interesting free agent case in the summer.

Hellebuyck is clearly the starter now in Winnipeg, after taking a huge step forward this season and establishing himself as one of the better goaltenders in the NHL. Mason though was just signed to a two-year, $8.2MM contract and is too expensive to bury in the minor leagues. When healthy, he’ll have a role on this team meaning there isn’t much room for Hutchinson. Instead, he could try to catch on somewhere else around the league as a backup, or even try to compete for a starting job on a rebuilding club.

A chance to prove himself against one of the top teams in the league doesn’t come every day, and you can bet many eyes around the NHL are tuning in to see what happens. Whether he’ll play another game as a Winnipeg Jet isn’t guaranteed, though he certainly has a good opportunity right now.

Minor Transactions: 01/19/18

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There will be plenty of minor moves again today as the NHL prepares for the weekend, and we’ll keep track of them right here. Keep checking back throughout the day to find out if your favorite team has tweaked their roster.

  • The Winnipeg Jets are coming off their bye week, and have recalled Michael Hutchinson and Jack Roslovic. Hutchinson’s recall likely means that Steve Mason is still dealing with the concussion-like symptoms that took him out of the lineup last week, and provides an interesting opportunity for the younger netminder. Hutchinson has dominated the AHL this season and is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer. Showing that he’s capable at the NHL level, even in a limited sample, would go a long way to earning him a contract in a few months.
  • Buffalo, fresh off another loss at the hands of the New York Rangers, have recalled Nicholas Baptiste from the Rochester Americans. Baptiste has played four games for the Sabres this season, and has 17 points in 34 games during his time in the AHL. The third-round pick had four points for Buffalo last season, but isn’t expected to make an immediate offensive impact.
  • The New York Islanders have placed Casey Cizikas on injured reserve, recalling Ross Johnston from the minor leagues in the process. Johnston can fill a physical role on the Islanders, as the 6’5″ 236-lbs winger currently leads the AHL in penalty minutes with 113. He does have 11 points through 37 games, but won’t be used for his offensive ability in the NHL.
  • The Calgary Flames are off their bye week, and with that they’ve recalled Marek Hrivik and Andrew Mangiapane from the AHL. The pair were sent down to continue playing, but were always expected to be brought back up when the week break ended. The Flames are back in action tomorrow afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets.
  • Ken Appleby is back up with the New Jersey Devils, this time under emergency conditions. Appleby will likely serve as the backup for Keith Kinkaid tomorrow, while Corey Schneider continues to deal with an injury. Appleby, 22, has now spent time on an ECHL, AHL and NHL roster this season.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled Kyle Rau from the AHL ahead of their game tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s Rau’s first call up of the season, but he does have 33 NHL games under his belt with the Florida Panthers. Rau was signed to a one-year, two-way deal on July 1st, and has 21 points in 36 games for the Iowa Wild.
  • With Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Nate Thompson dealing with injuries for the Ottawa Senators, the club has recalled forward Colin White from the AHL. The Senators take on the Maple Leafs tomorrow night, and needed a twelfth body to line up at forward. White has 16 points in 30 games for the Belleville Senators this season, but is a big part of the Ottawa plan going forward. The first-round pick could get a longer look down the stretch.

Minor Transactions: 1/14/18

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With one of the biggest slate of games Saturday, at least since the bye weeks have started, the NHL has just four games today, but several teams will be making moves to prepare for their coming games or their bye weeks.

  • The Winnipeg Jets announced they have assigned three players to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL Sunday, including goaltender Michael Hutchinson, and forwards Brendan Lemieux and Jack Roslovic. With the Jets off until Saturday, all three will be sent down to get more playing time. Hutchinson was an emergency call-up to fill in for goaltender Steve Mason, who left the team with an illness, but the AHL goaltender did not see any action. The 21-year-old Lemieux has played in eight games with the Jets. He has one goal and 19 penalty minutes, while Roslovic, the team’s 2015 first-round pick, has played in four games this year and is pointless.
  • The New York Islanders announced they made an emergency recall of Tanner Fritz from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL Sunday after they placed veteran forward Andrew Ladd on injured reserve. The 26-year-old Fritz is having a solid season with Bridgport, putting up 10 goals and 27 assists in 32 games. He has played three games with the Islanders already this year with no points. Ladd, suffered an upper-body injury Jan. 5 in a game against Pittsburgh, and is still not ready to return. Ladd has nine goals and nine assists this year.
  • Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen tweets that the Los Angeles Kings recalled forward Jonny Brodzinski from the Ontario Reign this afternoon. The 24-year-old forward has already played 22 games for Los Angeles and has two goals on the year, but has received just an average of 9:36 minutes of ice time this year. He has been thriving, however, with Ontario as he has six goals and eight assists in 11 AHL games this year.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced that they have reassigned center Lucas Wallmark to Charlotte of the AHL.  Wallmark suited up this afternoon against Calgary but with the team now off on their bye week, this will allow him to keep playing.  He has a goal in four games with Carolina so far this season while adding 23 points in 20 games at the minor league level.

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