Carter Hutton has been placed on injured reserve by the St. Louis Blues due to a lower-body injury. Though details on his injury are limited, it doesn’t sound to be too serious. That’s a good thing as Hutton’s play has been impressive this season, but he also plays a significant, overlooked role with Jake Allen’s play and development.
Before talking about Allen, let’s give Hutton the credit he deserves. He has been awesome. In eight appearances, he has a tidy 1.88 GAA and a .937 save percentage. As far as backups go, Hutton has been one of the best in the NHL this season.
Bringing Allen back into the conversation, there’s a somewhat intangible argument that Allen performs better when he’s being pushed forward by a solid secondary option on the bench.
Looking back over Allen’s career, you can make that anecdotal comparison to Jaroslav Halak. Allen is at his best when he’s being pushed – or supported – by a reliable backup. That’s a fairly common trait in the NHL, where one goalie looks more comfortable when the usual backup is in place.
That’s not to say Allen will fall to pieces while Hutton is out, but it does suggest that should Hutton’s injury progress into something more severe than it currently is, it’s possible Allen may slide back into some bad habits previously seen when the weight of the Blues were completely on his shoulders.
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