Hurricanes sign veteran goaltender Leighton to 1-year deal

Michael Leighton. (Paul Beaty/AP)

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed goaltender Michael Leighton to a one-year, two-way contract, the club announced Wednesday.

Leighton will earn $700,000 at the NHL level, or $250,000 in the American Hockey League for the 2016-17 season.

“Michael is a veteran player who gives our organization reliable depth in goal,” said Hurricanes executive vice president and general manager Ron Francis. “He is a true professional who also will serve as a valuable mentor for the young goaltenders in our system.”

Leighton registered a 2.44 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage to go with a 28-8-8 record in 46 games with the Chicago Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate Rockford IceHogs in 2015-16. The 35-year-old broke Hockey Hall of Famer Johnny Bower’s six-decades-old AHL record for shutouts when he earned the 46th of his career versus Lake Erie on March 5.

The Blackhawks originally selected Leighton in the sixth round (165th overall) at the 1999 NHL Draft.

Leighton holds a a 35-41-14 record, 2.96 goals-against average, and a .901 save percentage in 106 career NHL games with the Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Hurricanes.

September 7, 2016

|

Michael Leighton
SIGNED BY
Carolina Hurricanes
LENGTH
1 yr
CONTRACT TYPE
Free Agency
SALARY CAP HIT
$700,000
TOTAL
$700,000

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.