Scott Wedgewood could turn heads with Sabres in 2018-19

Don’t be surprised to see Scott Wedgewood in net often for the Buffalo Sabres in 2018-19.

Entering 2018-19, the Buffalo Sabres are the lone NHL team with a completely new goaltending tandem.

Buffalo departed ways with last season’s duo of Robin Lehner and Chad Johnson, and most NHL fans alike expect Carter Hutton and the young Linus Ullmark to be an upgrade in net for the Sabres come October when the puck officially drops on a new season.

However, there’s another goaltender on the Sabres’ roster that could see significant time in net next season and could turn out to be a pleasant surprise.

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Buffalo followed through with an additional depth signing between the pipes this offseason when the Sabres inked Scott Wedgewood to a one-year, two-way contract that’s worth $700,000.

There’s no doubting that the transaction was originally a low-key signing, but it’s an acquisition that could pay serious dividends for the future sake of the Sabres’ goaltending situation moving forward. No, Wedgewood’s career-numbers aren’t spectacular, and he’s only started in 21 NHL contests, but the former third-round draft pick (2010) has the makeup to be a starting goaltender in the league.

For those that aren’t familiar with Wedgewood, he was originally selected by the New Jersey Devils, and after spending parts of five seasons between the ECHL and American Hockey League (AHL) within the organization, he finally made his NHL debut in 2015-16 with Jersey.

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The Brampton, Ontario native impressed during his short tenure with Jersey in 2016, after Wedgewood posted a 2-1-1 record, 1.25 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage. Keep in mind that the youngster looked sharp and athletic between the pipes for what was then a bad New Jersey Devils team skating in front of him.

Still, New Jersey decided to move forward with the likes of goaltenders Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid and decided to give a Wedgewood a chance at developing as a goaltender somewhere else. But his next opportunity came with another sub-par team when he was shipped off to the Arizona Coyotes last season.

In 20 appearances with the ‘Yotes, Wedgewood’s numbers were nothing worth mentioning, but fans shouldn’t be deceived by his stats out in the Desert. Arizona decided to move on from the former Devil and traded him to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a fellow goaltender, Darcy Kuemper.

Again, Wedgewood was given up on after a team felt more comfortable with a more established tandem and this time with the Coyotes (Antti Raanta & Kuemper). For the record, Raanta has blossomed into a legitimate starting goaltender with Arizona.

Timing and being in a situation where Wedgewood has a legitimate opportunity to grow and win a starting job over the course of the season is crucial for most overlooked masked men such as this soon to be 26-year-old.

Speaking of his age, NHL goaltenders in recent memory have trended towards blossoming as capable starters around the ages of 25 and 26 and after spending some notable time in the AHL.

Look no further than the Chicago Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford.

Similar to Wedgewood, Crawford spent parts of five seasons in the minors before finally taking over the Hawks’ crease in 2011. Crawford also turned 26 that season and the rest is history, as most fans can recall that he helped lead the Blackhawks to hoist two Stanley Cups back in 2013 and 2015.

No, the Sabres are nowhere near being a Cup contender, but the fit appears to be right in Buffalo for a dynamic goaltender such as Wedgewood who will embrace the idea of tackling on the No. 1 role with the Sabres and competing with two additional unproven netminders.

Yes, Buffalo is banking on Hutton stabilizing the crease for three years while Ullmark grows into one of the leagues top goaltenders, but don’t count out Wedgewood to brew some commendable controversy in net for the Sabres that can only benefit the team in the long haul.