The Arizona Coyotes added to their goaltending corps by signing Carter Hutton to a one-year deal.
The goaltending carousel is spinning furiously today, particularly when it comes to Arizona.
The Coyotes made a move to gain their balance back in net on Wednesday afternoon, signing Carter Hutton to a one-year deal worth $750,000.
Under normal circumstances, a league-minimum contract would not be notable news on a day as busy as this. But Hutton might be an exception. Because as things stand right now, there is a real chance that Hutton begins the 2021-22 season as the Coyotes' starter. You read that right.
With Antti Raanta having signed in Carolina and Darcy Kuemper likely landing on the trade block in the near future, Hutton would be the last man standing in Arizona's net if everything unfolds as it's been predicted, making Hutton his team's unquestioned starter for the first time in his career.
Which, to be clear, is an absurdly bleak situation.
Hutton fell off a cliff after signing with the Sabres in 2018, as most players tend to do, failing to muster a save percentage above the .900 mark in two of his three seasons in Buffalo before bottoming out with a dreadful .886 in 13 games last season. Playing behind the absolute calamity that was the Sabres' 2021 roster certainly didn't help, of course. But Hutton has still been one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL for a long time now and could potentially be tasked with serving as the Coyotes' last line of defense.
If it weren't clear before that the Coyotes are tanking, it should be now.
