The Buffalo Sabres were one team that definitely needed to make a splash in their crease on Sunday and they did so, starting off with Carter Hutton, signing him to a 3-year deal, reportedly worth $8.25 million.
The 32-year old has really developed into a solid NHL goalie, but there are questions looming, as to whether or not he's got the goods to be a starting goalie or maybe even a 1B platoon goaltender. I'm sure we'll soon find out with the Sabres, which can be a trying team to play behind at the best of times.
Hutton's numbers in St. Louis were pretty good last season, having to make 32 appearances for the club, thanks to a lull in Jake Allen's play in the year, where he posted 17 wins and 40 points for the hockey pool, good enough for 31st among all hockey pool goalies, rounding out as a last ditch starter kind of numbers. Okay, that's pretty good.
As it stands now, the Sabres will be pitting Hutton against Linus Ullmark for the number one job, pending other decisions, of course, so there's a good chance Hutton will be getting some significant minutes with the Sabres, which has some upside to it, in theory.
It doesn't sound like the Sabres are close to done in the early part of this silly, possibly making a trade or two as well in the coming days, but currently, I have them with a 23-man roster, which includes Matt Moulson's full ticket, with $10.4 million left in cap room. Moulson is likely to be buried again in the minors and Ryan O'Reilly is among those names ready to be dealt, so the Sabres will be working with a lot more room, if they can get those moves completed.
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