The Winnipeg Jets are either confused or sneakily strategic.
A day after making a trade with the Montreal Canadiens to acquire goaltender Peter Budaj, they placed him on waivers.
When Budaj was acquired, it was thought he would be the backup behind starter Ondrej Pavelec. Michael Hutchinson, the projected backup, struggled throughout the preseason and also only has three games of NHL experience under his belt.
With that said, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff felt that Budaj would be easier to retain after placing on waivers than Hutchinson, who also would have been required to clear waivers if the team wanted to send him down to the American Hockey League.
The Jets ideally would like both goaltenders on their team for organizational depth, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.
In 296 career games, Budaj has 124 wins, a 2.76 goals against average and 11 shutouts.
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