Buffalo Sabres: Reliving goaltender Carter Hutton’s career

Former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton retired after 10 seasons in the NHL, three of which came during the franchise’s darkest days. 

Journeyman goaltender Carter Hutton made his NHL debut at age 27 and he did not join the Buffalo Sabres until age 33. A journeyman, Hutton called it quits after one forgettable season with the Arizona Coyotes, in which he played just three games.

Before his arrival in Buffalo, Hutton posted decent numbers with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and the St. Louis Blues, with his best stint coming in St. Louis in which he recorded a 30-15-5 record, a 0.923 save percentage, and a 2.33 goals allowed average.

His performance following the 2017-18 season was his most memorable. That year, Hutton finished 17-7-3, tallying a 0.931 save percentage and a 2.09 GAA. His performance caught the attention of Sabres management and he signed a three-year deal with Buffalo.

Reliving Carter Hutton’s stint with the Buffalo Sabres

Tasked with playing in a less-than-ideal situation for a franchise that would struggle throughout his stint with the team following November 2018, Hutton went on to start a career-high 50 games that season. His production dipped, but was still about average, with a 0.908 save percentage, a 3.00 GAA, and an 18-25-5 record.

Hutton turned in a similar performance the following season, finishing 12-14-4 with a 3.18 GAA and an 0.898 save percentage. His play, however, dropped immensely in 2020-21. That year, he finished 1-10-1 with a struggling Buffalo Sabres team. He allowed 3.47 goals per game, and posted just an 0.886 save percentage.

However, Hutton’s struggles began in 2019-20, in which he posted a dismal 0-8-4 mark between October 24th and January 30th. During that stint, his GAA sat at 4.04. Ongoing vision issues were the culprit, as he confessed to The Buffalo News. 

Derek Gee of The Buffalo News revealed that a convergence insufficiency was the culprit. Hutton required therapy to correct the disorder, and it led to him posting a 6-2 record in February 2020. With the trade deadline looming, the Sabres found themselves in playoff contention.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, as Hutton and fellow goaltender Jonas Johansson failed to hold things down in Linus Ullmark’s absence. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Sabres season following a shootout win over the Washington Capitals in Ullmark’s return and Hutton would never regain his form.

Overall, Hutton’s career with the Sabres was brief and mostly forgettable. But he did provide serviceable spot duty during his first season-and-a-half with the franchise.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)