Leafs recall Michael Hutchinson from the Marlies

Amidst the chaos of clinching their playoff push and goaltending controversies, the Leafs decided to really add gasoline to the tire fire and called-up goaltender Michael Hutchinson before they play their final game against the Montreal Canadiens this Saturday.

The front office apparently heard all the Facebook fans and decided to call-up a potential Garret Sparks replacement.

Hutchinson, 29, was acquired by the Leafs mid-season from the Florida Panthers for goaltending depth in the middle of their series of goaltending injuries.

He has played a total of five games for the Leafs this season, posting a .914 sv% and 2.64 GAA, including two quality starts. With the Marlies, he has a .910 sv% in 23 games for the club.

This transaction could mean one of two things. Either the team really wants to head into the playoffs with three goaltenders to make sure there’s no concern, or a goalie is injured.

Babcock already stated earlier this week that Andersen will be playing Saturday against the Canadiens, so unless it’s a massive inditement against Sparks, the Danish netminder might be out.

Potential load management could also be the case. The sports science department for the Leafs busting through Babcock’s head office and yelling about how the upcoming game doesn’t matter at all and why risk a potential Andersen injury.