Sort of related to the Pavs debate, but since that thread suddenly got de-railed into Bombers and politics, here is the question:

 

Is Hutch the real deal or a flash in the pan with a team playing better in front of him?

 

I believe he's an RFA this summer.  If the Jets feel he needs to play, do they bring him to camp next year as the defacto back-up?  Do they resign him as the starter in St John's?  Does it give them some freedom to move Pavs (going with a young unproven guy is scary though).

He has been pretty damn impressive. But we just don't know.... I mean, the guy was in the ECHL for a reason, right? Keep him in the organization, but don't make any plans around him being part of the Jets equation next season.

I don't know if Hutch is better then Pasquale though. It's hard to get a read because he was playing nervous but he didn't look completely out of place.

Hutch's only two goals allowed in the NHL were ones Im sure he'd want back.  I admit I havent watched either game in its entirety but Hutch looks very technically sound, appears to have good positioning.  Good positioning and good technique will often reduce the need to be super athletic since you dont often have to make circus saves if you're always in the right place.  But he also shows good athleticism, a good glove, great patience and the fact he's 6'3" doesnt hurt.

 

I cant say the Jets have soured on Pasquale but they sure seem to value hutch more.  Way too soon to say but maybe our goalie tandem looks like Hutch/Comrie in a couple of years.

Impossible to say either way. He played great in two meaningless games.

 

All things considered he did about as well as he could have. But it's too small of a sample.

90% of goalies can put two good games back to back. The only true test is 60-70 games over a season. He probably needs a season in St. John just get used to being the main man. Might be tough with all the good goalie prospect that the Jets have to get enough time for all of them.

Too early. Dunno.

 

Nice to see him get a win though!

It is too early to tell if he is the goalie of the future.

 

However I have been impressed with the 2 games he has played.  Was at the game last night so got to watch him live.  He has a very fast glove, quick lateral movement, and very confident when he comes out to challenge.  Seems to also be positionally sound.

 

You can't ask for much more from a goalie playing his first 2 games in the NHL.   So while we don't yet know if he is the goalie of the future, he hasn't done anything to make me think he can't be.

It would not surprise me if the Jets dont re-sign Pasquale.

They are high on Connor for the future.

One thing I found was Hutch and Montoya don't give up the huge rebounds that Pavs does which visibly made a huge difference in reducing the oppositions scoring chances.

At least they have two really high end prospects coming up with Hellebuyke and Comrie

I'm happy with the way he has played and even if the games were meaningless, he's still proven a few very important aspects of goaltending that we haven't seen from our starter. He controls his rebounds well and he's played very square to the shooter and hasn't been caught of of position. Even in Pavelec's best games, he would still show these signs of weakness. 

 

To those who say we can't go into next season without a proven starting goalie, I understand the concern. I'm not anointing Hutchinson anything yet but he's right at the age where things start to come together for goalies and he's been very good in the AHL for a few years now. Most importantly, there is legitimately no statical way we can do worse than Pavelec and despite his wealth of experience, he has never proven he can be an even adequate starting goalie. 

 

Sample size is small but he passes the eye test.

Hutch's only two goals allowed in the NHL were ones Im sure he'd want back.  I admit I havent watched either game in its entirety but Hutch looks very technically sound, appears to have good positioning.  Good positioning and good technique will often reduce the need to be super athletic since you dont often have to make circus saves if you're always in the right place.  But he also shows good athleticism, a good glove, great patience and the fact he's 6'3" doesnt hurt.

 

I cant say the Jets have soured on Pasquale but they sure seem to value hutch more.  

 

I don't necessarily disagree but what exactly makes you say this? It's not as if they could have called up Pasquale now since he's out for the season and they only played Hutchinson when the season was already lost. 

Guys like Hutchinson may or may not pan out, but he didn't hurt himself with his performances. Gave himself a chance to get a shot in the fall. Pretty much all you can ask for in that situation.

Hutch played a strong game tonight with some key saves. The Flames second goal I thought looked weak as he flopped on his stomach & the puck went over top of him. However, he also made some great saves later. One late in the game at point blank range. 

Hutch played a strong game tonight with some key saves. The Flames second goal I thought looked weak as he flopped on his stomach & the puck went over top of him. However, he also made some great saves later. One late in the game at point blank range. 

The 2nd Flame goal was a 5 on 3 power play. Jets best defenders were out. Trouba got himself injured in the first period and Shotblocker Stuart was in the box. 

 

Jets didn't have much left to defend. A feeble midget named Toby Enstrom and an offensive defensman named Paul Postma. Hutch was in trouble from the getgo. In fact, the Flames 3rd and tying goal was scored on the same power play. 5 on 4.

 

Pavelec looks great on the 90% of shots he manages to stop but he looks stupid and out of control on the 10% which go thru him.

 

His stop average is barely 90% and he usually faces 30 to 35 shots nightly due to the Jets being not exactly a shut-down defensive team. Thus he's always letting in 3 to 4 a night.

For those calling the the games that Hutchinson has played meaningless, should ask him if they were meaningless. 

I think they'll return Hutch to the Ice Caps - see how he does vs. the better AHL team(s) in the playoffs.

 

Cormier, Klingberg, couple others should be returned, too.

I think they'll return Hutch to the Ice Caps - see how he does vs. the better AHL team(s) in the playoffs.

 

Cormier, Klingberg, couple others should be returned, too.

 

You mean instead of golfing?

I think they'll return Hutch to the Ice Caps - see how he does vs. the better AHL team(s) in the playoffs.

 

Cormier, Klingberg, couple others should be returned, too.

 

No "I think" or "should" - the players who were recalled from the Ice Caps will be returned for the playoffs.

For those calling the the games that Hutchinson has played meaningless, should ask him if they were meaningless. 

Flames played hard last night. They've had tremendous fan support all year with an overachieving hockey club & they really wanted to go out with a win. That game wasn't meaningless to Calgary. The last few minutes were intense. The crowd was really into it. For the Flames & Jets.

 

For those calling the the games that Hutchinson has played meaningless, should ask him if they were meaningless. 

Flames played hard last night. They've had tremendous fan support all year with an overachieving hockey club & they really wanted to go out with a win. That game wasn't meaningless to Calgary. The last few minutes were intense. The crowd was really into it. For the Flames & Jets.

 

 

Boston was playing for the Presidents Trophy, they wanted that game.

Yes, the last 2 games the Jets played vs Boston & Calgary weren't meaningless games to those teams. The Jets had to play hard to beat those teams & they did. Hutchinson did very well. That save on D'Agostino in the dying moments of the game vs the Flames was outstanding.

 

 

For those calling the the games that Hutchinson has played meaningless, should ask him if they were meaningless. 

Flames played hard last night. They've had tremendous fan support all year with an overachieving hockey club & they really wanted to go out with a win. That game wasn't meaningless to Calgary. The last few minutes were intense. The crowd was really into it. For the Flames & Jets.

 

 

Boston was playing for the Presidents Trophy, they wanted that game.

 

Guess thats why they put Rask and Chara in the press box, huh?

 

 

 

For those calling the the games that Hutchinson has played meaningless, should ask him if they were meaningless. 

Flames played hard last night. They've had tremendous fan support all year with an overachieving hockey club & they really wanted to go out with a win. That game wasn't meaningless to Calgary. The last few minutes were intense. The crowd was really into it. For the Flames & Jets.

 

 

Boston was playing for the Presidents Trophy, they wanted that game.

 

Guess thats why they put Rask and Chara in the press box, huh?

 

 

Don't knock Chad Johnson...

No games are meaningless for teams, thats even ridiculous to suggest that.

 

Teams going to the playoffs like Boston, they want to be on a roll, yes boston sat rask and they sat chara but no buff ladd bogo or even pavelec for us also.

 

It goes both ways there.

 

Basically it was Boston minus chara and rask vs the ice caps plus wheeler and kane and we beat them.

 

You play 82 games, you want to win them all. I dont care who you play or where you are in the standings, you want to win, as a pro athlete you want to win, I see some people talking about tanking for draft picks, but obviously those saying that, have never played a sport in their lives cuz if they did, they would know that everytime you lace up the skates, put on the cleats, put on the sneakers, whatever sport really, you play to win. You dont play to lose.

 

Rask and Chara didnt play for Boston? Nope but neither did several of our top stars also.

 

Is hutch the real deal? i dont know. But i do know that some of you on here must be maple leaf fans also cuz if you go to the maple leafs site, you see the exact same comments about players who have one or 2 good games from their fans too. Then they ride off in to the sunset never to be heard from again.

 

Its been 3 years, have we improved? one could make the argument we have as we are now in the tougher western conference.

 

Is hutch the real deal tho? After 2 or 3 games? nobody really knows. People thought Montoya was the real deal but never bothered looking in to his past to see that A. this is the first season he actually played this many games and B. when he did get to play regularly when pavelec was hurt, looked pretty average. 3-3 in those 6 games as a starter there. Career backup. Not a  fresh faced rookie like Hutch really. Seems to me the backup goalie and backup qb are one in the same here in winnipeg. Its sad that like vancouver and toronto, winnipeg is going to be a graveyard for goalies also. Would have thought our fans were a little smarter then the fans out west and out east, but guess not. Annointing guys future stars after 2 or 3 games? Thats a very toronto maple leaf fan mentality there.