from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

The journeyman was hardly the only culprit in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals, but he did get burned for three goals in a 78-second span after Toronto had built him a first-period lead. This is a difficult, often thankless job. Even if Hutchinson was never really put in a position to succeed, he still had to own part of the defeat.

“You’re never happy when you lose a game or let in four goals,” he said. “But they made some good plays.”...

The Leafs brought veteran Michal Neuvirth to training camp on a professional tryout agreement to challenge Hutchinson for the backup job this fall, but he struggled to stay healthy and was released.

Should they end up looking for another option in-season, they’ll be inhibited by their salary cap squeeze. It would basically have to be a money-in, money-out proposition.

The most appealing scenario for the organization is seeing things work out with Hutchinson. He’s got internal support from both Andersen and goalie coach Steve Briere, among others.

But he also has to deliver on the occasional junk-mail assignment.

“You gotta find a way each and every night and you need different people to do it each and every night,” said Babcock. “You can’t give up as many goals on the back-to-back. That’s 10 goals in two games back-to-back.

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