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NHL Free Agency Rumors: Carter Hutton to St. Louis Blues

By Dave Stevenson

May 7, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Carter Hutton (30) replaces goalie Pekka Rinne (35) during the third period in game five of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. The Sharks defeated the Predators 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; Nashville Predators goalie Carter Hutton (30) replaces goalie Pekka Rinne (35) during the third period in game five of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. The Sharks defeated the Predators 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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According to Elliott Friedman, the St. Louis Blues have reached a two-year deal with goaltender Carter Hutton worth $1.125 million annually.

The St. Louis Blues needed to replace goaltender Brian Elliott, who they traded to the Calgary Flames during the 2016 NHL Draft. It didn’t take them long to find his replacement, as they have reportedly agreed to terms with former Nashville Predators goalie Carter Hutton.

Hutton will be getting a much larger role with the Blues than the one that he saw in Nashville. He had a career year during the 2015-16 season with a career-best .918 save percentage in 18 appearances while backing up Pekka Rinne. The Blues needed a reliable backup who could potentially split time with starting goaltender Jake Allen. Hutton should be a very nice fit there as he did a great job backing up Rinne during his time in Nashville.

It’s hard to go from Elliott to Hutton, but the Blues managed to do it without spending too much money. Replacing Elliott in a very shallow goaltender market was always going to be a difficult task. The Blues managed to navigate that storm and now have a very solid backup goaltender in Hutton.

St. Louis obviously has more moves that they need to do, especially since they have lost David Backes and Troy Brouwer to the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames respectively, but signing Hutton to a very reasonable deal is a good start.

For more NHL Free Agency coverage, check out our NHL hub page.

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