Trade Rumor: Florida Panthers Interested In Toronto Maple Leafs Veteran Goaltender

On the The Jeff Marek Show, Elliotte Friedman noted that the Florida Panthers are interested in Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson. The Panthers just lost Sam Montembeault on waivers to the Montreal Canadiens, so it would make sense for them to add another third-string goaltender.

The @JeffMarek Show ft. @FriedgeHNIC:

🏒 Progress in the Eichel saga?
🏒 Robin Lehner's latest comments
🏒 Goalie waiver wire

+ much more!

🔊 https://t.co/3rYwg3FsPJ
🍎 ⤵️ https://t.co/ByVBPISHNu
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) October 6, 2021

Hutchinson was recently placed on waivers by the Maple Leafs, but he went unclaimed. Due to this, he now is exempt from being on waivers again until he plays nine NHL games or is on an NHL roster again for over 29 days. This means if Florida or any other team traded for him, they wouldn't run the risk of losing him for nothing.

Yet, Hutchinson worked quite well in this role with the Maple Leafs last season. In eight games, he had a 4-2-1 record, 2.42 GAA and .919 SV%. Toronto may prefer to keep him in their system because of this, but it will be intriguing to see if the Panthers can convince them to strike a deal.

At the end of the day, whether it's Hutchinson or someone else, it would be wise for the Panthers to bring in a replacement for Montembeault. Don't be surprised to see them add a goalie of some kind before the start of the season. It's never a bad thing to add depth in net.