Canadian goaltender Michael Hutchinson, 34, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season with SaiPa Lappeenranta, the Finnish Liiga club announced on Tuesday.
“We are very excited to have an experienced goaltender like Michael become part of the team,” said SaiPa sports director Harri Aho. “Mike is known for his strong work ethic and athleticism, which we will certainly need in the rink in the future. As a player, he also has a lot of experience in leading and mentoring younger players.”
Hutchinson is a native of Barrie, Ont. and played junior hockey in the OHL for the hometown Barrie Colts and the London Knights. He was a third-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
From 2013 until last season, Hutchinson played 154 NHL regular-season games for the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings, compiling a record of 57-62-18 with a goals-against average of 2.94, a save percentage of .902 and six shutouts. He also dressed as a backup for the Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights but did not log any on-ice minutes with those teams.
Hutchinson played four playoff games for Colorado in the Edmonton bubble in 2020 after injuries to Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz. In four second-round games – one relief appearance and three starts – against the Dallas Stars, he went 1-2 with a 2.75 average and .910 save percentage.
Last season, Hutchinson played one NHL game for Detroit and the rest of the season for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. This season, he attended the New Jersey Devils’ training camp on a PTO.
Hutchinson is expected to join his new team later this week. SaiPa is his first European club.
SaiPa currently sits fourth in the 16-team Liiga with 34 points in 20 games and is currently on a six-game winning streak.
In late August, SaiPa signed Oskari Salminen to a short-term contract following an injury that was expected to keep starter Filip Lindberg out of the lineup for at least half of the season. During the international break, Salminen transferred to JYP Jyväskylä, necessitating a new goalie. Lindberg’s status was not updated.