On Hockey Night in Canada’s Coach’s Corner Saturday night, Don Cherry focused on a couple goaltenders, starting with Curtis McElhinney. The Toronto Maple Leafs picked him up off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets this week, and started him against Ottawa on Saturday.
“I cannot believe Columbus gave up on him,” Cherry said. “He’s only lost one out of five. This is one of the best pickups I’ve ever seen.”
In seven appearances with the Blue Jackets this season, McElhinney holds a 2-1-2 record with a 2.39 GAA and .925 save percentage. The 33-year-old is a career backup, having spent time with Calgary, Anaheim, Phoenix and Columbus before arriving in Toronto. His career high for games played is 32, which he got in 2014-15 and posted a .914 save percentage that season. He has 45 career wins, a 2.96 career GAA and .905 career save percentage.
The Blue Jackets let McElhinney go because he would have been exposed to the Las Vegas expansion draft and the team has a couple other young goalies they’d like to get a closer look at — 22-year-old Joonas Korpisalo and 24-year-old Anton Forsberg.
The Leafs, meanwhile, desperately needed an experienced backup goalie capable of filling in for Frederik Andersen. The Leafs starter has already played both sides of a back-to-back three times this season, allowing a total of 10 goals in the back half of those situations.
“What a pickup,” Cherry said of McElhinney. “Shouldn’t have given up on him!”
Cherry also wanted to give a thumbs up to the play of Calgary’s Chad Johnson, who stepped up in a big way for his team, especially early this season when newcomer Brian Elliott struggled out of the gate. Cherry said Johnson doesn’t get enough credit for the work he’s done in posting a .924 save percentage and 2.25 GAA this season, helping the Flames into a playoff position and just six points off the pace in the Pacific Division.
MacLean pointed out that Johnson’s could be a similar situation to McElhinney, as Johnson is a 30-year-old who has bounced around the NHL and AHL before getting his chance in the spotlight this season.
“I’m telling you it’s the same story,” Cherry said. “They go to the minors and all of a sudden they blossom.”
