Flyers waive G Leighton

By Steve Cwitkowitz and Bob Herpen

In a somewhat shocking move that is reminiscent of a few Paul Holmgren roster missteps in the past few seasons, the Philadelphia Flyers placed goaltender Michael Leighton on waivers Monday afternoon.

The 29-year-old, who had back surgery in October, made his 2010-11 debut in a 7-4 win at Los Angeles on Thursday. In that one, he turned aside 32 shots in playing for the first time since June 9 when the Flyers lost to Chicago in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The goaltending situation became a numbers game for the Flyers, as rookie Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher were splitting time between the pipes this season.

Bobrovsky is 15-6-3 with a 2.57 goal against average over 26 games -- 25 starts, while the veteran Boucher has appeared in 15 contests, 13 of them starts and has compiled an 8-4-2 record with a 2.33 GAA.

Leighton was claimed off waivers from Carolina in December of 2009 and was somewhat of a surprise by going 16-5-2 with one shutout and a 2.48 goals against average over 27 regular-season games.

After a knee injury to Boucher in the second round against Boston, he went on to guide the team to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997 and posted an 8-3 mark with a 2.46 GAA in the playoffs.

Should Leighton clear waivers, he will find himself back down in the American Hockey League with Adirondack, where he spent early December while rehabbing from surgery. His salary ($1.5 million) will come off the books, but if Leighton needs to be recalled due to an injury by Boucher or Bobrovsky, Leighton would have to clear re-entry waivers to return to Philadelphia.

However, if another club claims him, that means the Flyers will clear up needed cap space in order to keep forward Ville Leino. It also puts the front office in the unenviable position of trying to explain how Leighton went from a playoff hero who earned a two-year contract, to departed from the franchise in roughly six months.
 
The waiver wire has not been kind to the franchise in recent years. The club lost fan-favorite forward Glen Metropolit to Montreal and defenseman Ossi Vaananen to Vancouver late in the 2008-09 season, and defenseman Randy Jones early last year to the Los Angeles Kings on re-entry waivers when Holmgren perhaps underestimated each player's value.