Mike Leighton, Philadelphia Flyers Goalie, Keys Team's Success

Better "Leight" than Never

For many NHL teams, the difference between winning and losing is as simple as how well their goaltenders perform. Luckily for the Philadelphia Flyers, when Michael Leighton is between the pipes the Flyers usually pick up two points.

Originally drafted 165th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1999 NHL entry draft, Michael Leighton has bounced around the NHL. Stops in Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Carolina, mixed in with a lot of AHL assignments, have made Leighton into the goalie he is today.

Like many goaltenders, Leighton comes off as very unassuming. His quiet voice and quiet nature have calming effects, he seems humble and very, for the lack of a better word, “chill.”

Leighton started the season with the struggling Carolina Hurricanes, posting a 1-4-0 record with a 4.28 goals against average and a .850 save percentage. Clearly, Leighton, much like the Hurricanes themselves, was struggling in Carolina. As such, the Hurricanes deemed Leighton expendable, placing him on waivers on December 15th.

With Ray Emery on the sidelines with an abdominal injury, the Flyers were looking for some goaltending depth. Having had Leighton in their stables before, the Flyers knew what Leighton could do and, as such, claimed him.

As it turns out, the Leighton pickup may very well have saved the Flyers' season. When Leighton arrived the Flyers were struggling as a team. While it would be hard to blame backup goalie Brian Boucher for the teams’ misfortunes, the Flyers record with Boucher in net was not pretty.

On December 21st, Boucher, who had assumed the starting role in Emery’s absence, went down with an injury. As such, Leighton, who was waived less than a week before by the worst team in hockey, was thrust into the starting role for the Flyers.

Leighton would get a measure of revenge against his former team when he led the Flyers to a 4-3 shoot-out victory over the Hurricanes on Boxing Day.

Fast forward a couple of weeks to the present and you will see Leighton has put together an impressive 7-0-1 record, impressive numbers when you consider the Flyers record before his arrival, even more impressive when you consider the circumstances in which Leighton arrived in Philadelphia.

Through 10 games with the Flyers, Leighton has lowered his GAA to 2.13, posting a save percentage of .928—a far cry from his numbers in Carolina.

Recent news stories suggest Ray Emery is not only back with the Flyers, but ready to play, which brings the question: Should Emery be given the No. 1 status back or should the Flyers stick with Leighton?

History shows us a player rarely loses his job due to injury. As such, expect Emery to be given the starting role. That said, if Emery falters, one can expect the Flyers to turn back to Leighton, with total confidence.

Clearly, if not for the great goaltending of Leighton, the Flyers would be in a huge hole. As it sits right now, the Flyers sit ninth in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, who currently occupy the eight and seventh spots, respectively.

The Flyers have three games in hand on the Canadiens, one game on the Seantors, so after falling as far down in the NHL standings as 29th overall, a playoff spot is now within the Flyers grasp, which is good news for fans of the Orange and Black.

For Leighton, he can take solace in the fact that, when called upon, he performed admirably. Leighton can also rest assured, despite many questions about his abilities early on in the season, it appears as though he will remain a Flyer for the foreseeable future, which means he will avoid yet another demotion to the AHL, of which Leighton has had many in his career.

Prior to Leighton’s arrival in Philly, the Flyers didn’t like the results they were getting. If they want to see similar results, they would be smart to keep Leighton in the fold going forward.

Until next time,

Peace!