St. Louis Blues: Carter Hutton 99.9% Likely To Sign In Buffalo

The St. Louis Blues neverending goaltender carousel keeps on turning. The Blues will be in search of a new backup as Carter Hutton is poised to sign out east.

With the heart of the offseason frenzy about to get started on July 1, calmer fans of the St. Louis Blues have been bracing for a series of meltdowns with their more passionate compatriots. The first one is likely to begin now.

Carter Hutton is all but officially a member of the Buffalo Sabres. The only reason 99.9% was used in the title is because there is always that miniscule chance that something odd happens before the ink on the contract dries.

Short of that, the former Nashville and St. Louis backup is about to become the starter in Buffalo. According to the Buffalo News, Hutton will get a three-year contract worth a total of $10-11 million. That would pay him an average value in the range of $3.3-3.6 million, give or take a few hundred thousand on either side when the final details are released.

The fans having the meltdown will scream to the heavens asking why the Blues could not afford that. It is simple math and probability.

More from Rumors

• St. Louis Blues Doug Armstrong Not Going Anywhere For Now
• St. Louis Blues: Any Colton Parayko Replacement Would Need to Be Number 1
• St. Louis Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko Trade Rumors, Ready The Facepalm Memes
• TSN Report Links St. Louis Blues To Jakob Chychrun
• St. Louis Blues Trading For Ben Chiarot Would Not Make Sense

The math is that the Blues were not going to invest $8 million or more in goaltending when they need so much more elsewhere. They were not going to trade Jake Allen either. If Allen is as bad as so many make out, there was no value in him. If there was value, he’s just as good to the Blues as anyone else.

The probability factor comes in Hutton’s choice. We do not know for sure that the Blues would not have matched the average annual value of such a deal since it is a fair price, really. However, we do know that, like Brian Elliott, Hutton was never going to be given assurances of being a starter. He would have been a 1-b player, which is what he is.

That is not said with any callousness. It is an opinion and one shared by every team Hutton has been on so far.

Hutton played in 32 games in 2017-18. That is not even 40% of the season. He played in 30 games the season before.

When he was in Nashville, he played 40 games his first year with the team, due to an injury to Pekka Rinne. Despite good numbers, he played in 18 and 17 games the following years. Clearly neither organization ever felt he was going to be able to carry the load.

There is a significant difference between playing well when called upon and being THE guy. Compare it to the NFL. Marc Bulger looked great when he took over for Kurt Warner. When Bulger was given the reigns behind a terrible offensive line, he looked like a scared child.

Elliott is another example. He has his moments of brilliance and has plenty of talent. When there is nobody to help him through the grind, like his days in Colorado, Ottawa and periods in Philadelphia, he has faltered.

Hutton is in the same boat. He deserved the raise he got. He deserves his opportunity to try starting.  We should all wish him the best of luck.

It is simply going to be a different animal playing in 50-60 games than it was in 30. That mental grind is what makes the difference.

From the Blues perspective, they must now figure out their own plan in the pipes. Ville Husso is seen as a potential goalie of the future, but would be best served with another season in the minors where he can get the majority of the playing time for once.

Do the Blues have that luxury though? Cam Ward is rumored to be going to Chicago. Jonathan Bernier is looking to join Detroit. The free agent market thins out a bit after that, unless you want to give Kari Lehtonen a whirl.

St. Louis might be forced to move Husso to the NHL. That could also have a domino effect with Evan Fitzpatrick. The Blues might be forced to turn him pro just to have a prospect goaltender in the minors as opposed to juniors (*note – Fitzpatrick might be moved to the pros anyway, but it takes away options).

Of course, another option is Jordan Binnington. Binnington is the forgotten man for most fans due to his lower ceiling and projection to be more of a backup.

Binngington is only 24 though and Hutton did not break into the NHL until 27. He still has time to make a mark and 2018-19 might be a good time with the Blues in need of someone to back up Allen. Of course Binnington has to accept the Blues RFA offer first.

Next: Blues Offseason As Confusing As We've Ever Seen

So, the soap opera of the Blues crease continues. We here at Bleedin’ Blue wish Hutton the best and are grateful for his time here and also that he did not sign with a Western Conference team.

Unfortunately for him, he will need a lot of luck as Rasmus Dahlin, alone, is not going to fix all of Buffalo’s defensive troubles.