Pavelec can’t save himself

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This article was published 10/10/2016 (3573 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Michael Hutchinson knew something was up when he showed up to practice Monday morning.

What tipped off the Winnipeg Jets goalie was the vacancy next to him in the team’s dressing room at the MTS Iceplex.

The words Ondrej and Pavelec were no longer on the adjoining locker stall.

The NHL club’s longtime No. 1 puckstopper was placed on waivers Monday with the purpose of sending him to the Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg’s American Hockey League affiliate.

Pavelec will have to clear waivers before linking up with the Moose.

“I found out right before practice. It’s one of those things where you aren’t told too much,” Hutchinson said. “(Pavelec) wasn’t beside me this morning, that’s kind of how I found out.”

A few paces across the dressing room was goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who said little about the situation other than Jets management made it clear to both himself and Hutchinson about their roles.

For his part, the 23-year-old American was keeping it strictly business after Monday’s skate.

“I’m not satisfied yet,” Hellebuyck said of winning a spot on the Jets’ 23-man roster. “I want to win a Stanley Cup and I want to prove I not only belong here, but that the team is good enough to do so. This is what I’ve worked for my entire life.”

Pavelec’s situation isn’t exclusive, especially around this time of the year. It’s part of the business, a sentiment Jets captain Blake Wheeler echoed during his comments following practice.

With that said, it’s never easy losing a friend.

“It’s kind of a tough day,” Wheeler said. “Hopefully he gets an opportunity and makes the most of it. He’s been a big part of our team and we’re definitely going to miss having him around.

“I guess that’s all you can ask for is to make it a tough decision and that’s what happened. Hats off to Bucky and then to Hutchy for having strong camps. Pavo is going to be missed.”

Hutchinson, who usurped Pavelec for a spell during the 2014-15 season, said he became close friends with the Czech-born netminder.

“Obviously, you feel for him,” Hutchinson said. “It’s always tough when it happens. I’m definitely going to check in and see how he’s doing. Management had a bunch of tough decisions today, not just at goal, but on forward and defence.”

For the Jets brass, it was time to give the duo a shot at claiming the throne, one they’ll share to begin the season.

“(We have) two good, young goalies here that have both had blocks of time where they looked like they would have the ability to become No. 1 guys. They need that opportunity to show it,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice a few hours after the news broke.

Maurice said the latter half of the draft-and-develop scheme is coming to fruition with Hutchinson and Hellebuyck, who are expected to play in a tandem role to start the season.

“They’ve earned it,” Maurice said.

The decision wasn’t an easy one for Maurice, who is heading into his third full season behind the bench.

“(It’s) a difficult decision when you’re moving a veteran player out that has had some good work and good performance to his resumé,” Maurice said. “We’ve done that with other players and that’s going to continue here when you look at the number of young players who are still here today.”

For now, Maurice has no issue not having a clear-cut No.1 tender.

“No. I absolutely do not,” he said. “Both are playing. Both will have to be given the opportunity to grab it and they’re both going to grab it at different times and they’re also going to lose it at different times. That’s where the growth comes.

“It’s not just… keep throwing a guy in… no matter the result. That’s absolutely not the case. They have to fight for it and then perform under that pressure.”

Pavelec wasn’t available to the media Monday and the Moose had an off day after back-to-back pre-season games over the weekend. Maurice briefly gave the media a glimpse of how his conversation went with the 29-year-old.

“It’s a real short, professional meeting. He handled it like a pro and he understands the eventualities,” Maurice said.

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Pavelec will make US$4.75 million this season, regardless of where he plays, and will become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

The Jets also reassigned forwards Andrew Copp, Marko Dano, Anthony Peluso, Chase De Leo and Nic Petan, along with defencemen Julian Melchiori and Brian Strait to the Moose.

Peluso, Melchiori and Strait must also clear waivers.

Winnipeg hosts the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday at 7 p.m. at the MTS Centre to begin the 2016-17 regular season.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @scottbilleck

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Scott Billeck
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Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.