The Winnipeg Jets are turning back to Ondrej Pavelec.
The club has recalled the veteran goaltender from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, as announced Tuesday morning.
With Pavelec coming off a miserable 2015-16 season, where he finished with a woeful .904 save percentage in 33 appearances, the Jets decided to roll with a combination of prospect Connor Hellebuyck and backup Michael Hutchinson to begin the season. This meant waiving Pavelec and then sending him to the minor leagues to begin his 10th season with the franchise.
It seemed like the obvious move. With a .941 even-strength save percentage in 26 appearances last season - and performing on a rookie deal - Hellebuyck was clearly the more cost-effective option, especially when factoring in the cap relief the Jets would obtain from burying Pavelec's $4.75-million salary.
Of course, it hasn't worked out as planned. Hellebuyck and Hutchinson have struggled immensely - the Jets are one of five teams with a sub-.900 overall save percentage, and only the Philadelphia Flyers have allowed more goals.
Simply put: the tandem hasn't given them a chance.
Pavelec, meanwhile, has a .917 save rate in 18 appearances for a Moose team with 15 wins from 37 games.
A change is needed in net for the Jets, but, unfortunately, their only option is a netminder who owns the worst statistical performance among those with at least 150 appearances over the last five years. On top of that, Pavelec's return carries with it the forfeiture of cap space.
But as Cap Friendly points out, he'll take up just a little over $1.3 million based on the timing of his recall.
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