Injury puts pressure on Hutchinson
With Campbell out ‘for weeks,’ No. 2 job back in familiar hands
Michael Hutchinson might have to answer a key question about the Maple Leafs’ goaltending this season: Is there enough depth to cover longterm injuries?
Hutchinson, who moved up to third on the Leafs’ depth chart when Aaron Dell was claimed off waivers, was thrust into the No. 2 spot Tuesday after the Leafs announced regular backup Jack Campbell would be sidelined “for weeks” with what is believed to be a left leg injury. That could be a month or more if he is dealing with an injury to the knee or groin areas.
Campbell was injured late in the Leafs’ win over Calgary on Sunday as the Flames pressed for a tying goal. He was forced to make several key saves, with Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk landing on the goaltender with his full weight on one occasion. Campbell was noticeably favouring his left leg in the final minute but remained in the game.
“He’ll be out for weeks … not days but weeks,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Campbell, who was off to a 2-0 start while giving the Leafs some confidence about their depth in net.
Now, Hutchinson, who started last season as Toronto’s backup, returns to the role. He struggled during much of his time with Leafs last season, going 4-9-1 with an .886 save percentage, eventually leading general manager Kyle Dubas to acquire Campbell from Los Angeles and deal Hutchinson to Colorado. Hutchinson rejoined the club in the off-season, agreeing to a two-year, $1.45million (U.S.) deal and giving the team, at the very least, depth for the coming expansion draft.
But, in the span of a couple of weeks, Hutchinson has gone from No. 4 to No. 2. Joseph Woll, a third-round draft pick
from 2016, will serve as the team’s third goaltender. He will practise with the taxi squad for now.
Neither backup is likely to play anytime soon. Toronto has three games this week and No. 1 Frederik Andersen should start them all.
The team has a four-day break after Saturday’s game in Edmonton and does not play on back-to-back nights, when the backup goalie is normally called on, until Feb. 17-18.
“It’s the game,” Keefe said of Campbell’s injury. “That’s why you set yourself up with as
much depth as possible. The way our schedule sets up is favourable (for us) and for Freddie’s workload. After this road trip, we are back home and with no back-to-backs for a while.
“We’ll get (Campbell) back to health as soon as we can, and we have every confidence in Hutch. You go back to the time when he won starts for us, and he did so well when he (was traded to Colorado, where he won his only regular-season start, then added two more wins in the post-season). He gave them a really good opportunity to advance deep into the playoffs. With his experience, we feel we’re in a good place here.”
Keefe, meanwhile, adjusted his lineup Tuesday against Calgary, inserting taxi squad forwards Travis Boyd and Joey Andersen while scratching Jason Spezza and Alex Barabanov.
While that reflected a desire in the coaching staff to see every available forward in game action, some eyebrows were raised sharply when Keefe inserted Mikko Lehtonen on the blue line and scratched Travis Dermott.
Dermott was a healthy scratch for the first time since 2017-18. He had played in the Leafs’ first seven games this season, though his ice time, 11:22 per night, was down markedly from the 17:18 he averaged in 56 games last season.
The challenge Dermott is facing this season is the biggest of his career. Toronto brought in veterans T.J. Brodie and Zach Bogosian and Lehtonen, a KHL star, taking Dermott out of a regular role in the Leafs’ rotation to fighting for the last spot in the top six with Lehtonen and Rasmus Sandin.