The Newfoundland Growlers’ playoff roster will soon be revealed, but perhaps the biggest question roster-wise for the Growlers as they prepare for their first-ever post-season has already been answered.
And you might say it was answered by Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock.
Five days ago, as Newfoundland prepared for a regular season-ending three-game road trip to New England, much of the focus was on the goaltending pattern for the weekend tilts. The thinking was that whichever of Michael Garteig or Eamon McAdam got two of the three starts on the weekend would be Newfoundland head coach John Snowden’s choice as the No. 1 netminder for the first-round playoff series against the Brampton Beast, which starts with games Friday and Saturday nights at Mile One Centre.
As it turns out, there was no need for such a call, because auditions for the job weren’t needed. It’s become Garteig’s gig because of a decision at the top level of the Maple Leafs’ organization.
Last week, Babcock decided a struggling Garret Sparks, who had been the regular backup to Toronto No. 1 Frederik Andersen almost all season, wasn’t reliable enough to keep that position for the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs, or at least the start of them. Michael Hutchinson, the left-handed former St. John’s IceCap, was summoned from the AHL Toronto Marlies to take the place of Sparks, who will remain at the NHL level and will work with Leafs goaltending coaches — but apart from the rest of the team — for at least a week-and-a-half in a bid to rediscover his game.
That meant the Marlies needed a goaltender and McAdam, who appeared in 18 games for the AHL team before being returned to the Growlers, was a natural choice. He was recalled last week just before Newfoundland’s weekend road trip.
Not that this means McAdam would have definitely been tagged for the start against Brampton in Game 1 on Friday had he remained with Newfoundland. McAdam has a 2.62 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in 19 games with the Growlers and was particularly good after his latest return from the Marlies. But Garteig (2.72, .909) has been the epitome of a steady workhorse for much of the campaign, appearing in 43 of Newfoundland’s 72 games and earning the team’s top goaltender award.
But as comfortable as the team will be with Garteig between the pipes against the Beast, there was still the matter of finding a backup. And in finding one, a former St. John’s netminder again played a role.
Last Wednesday, a day before the Growlers learned they were losing McAdam to the Marlies, the AHL’s Chicago Wolves reassigned ex IceCap Zach Fucale to the Fort Wayne Komets. Since the Komets already had three netminders on the roster, they were forced to release one. That turned out to be Eric Levine, whom the Growlers quickly snapped up in a deja vu waiver claim.
Levine had been with Newfoundland midseason (also on a waiver claim from the Komets) when they had temporary vacancies in goal. He performed well, posting three wins in January, before being released and reclaimed by Fort Wayne.
Now he’s back as the backup, and the Growlers had to feel fortunate to come across an available veteran, and a familiar face, in a time of need.
Twitter: @telybrendan
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