Leighton sad to leave Philly
Daily News Flyers blog
Leighton sad to leave Philly
A mere minutes after the clock struck noon and ended Michael Leighton’s run on the waiver wire, Leighton walked into the Flyers’ locker room at Voorhees and began packing his bags for Glens Falls, N.Y.
Leighton had hoped to stay in the NHL, perhaps with a claim from the injury-riddled New York Islanders.
That didn’t happen. All 29 teams passed on Leighton by Tuesday’s noon deadline, ending Leighton's magical run with the Flyers.
“The hardest part is once you think you have security in life, you sign a two year deal, and you come into camp thinking you’re a starting goalie,” Leighton said. “Going from that mindset, to being injured and working to get that spot back, to going to the minors ... It’s tough.
“It’s going to be tough on me and my family.”
Believe it or not, he will actually earn more money in the AHL as opposed to the NHL, considering he won’t have to pay a league-mandated escrow which is upwards of 15 percent of his salary.
“I just want to be in the NHL,” Leighton said. “I want to go down and work on my game and get back to where I should be. That’s all I can control. I want to get back here. I hope it happens.
“It’s tough to leave. I love all of these guys in the [locker] room, these guys become family. On the other hand, I’m not gone. I’m still part of the organization. I’ve got to work hard and try to get back.”
In a lot of ways, Leighton is gone from the organization - though Comcast-Spectacor will still cut his checks bi-weekly. He would be more than an attractive option for teams on re-entry waivers, since they would only be responsible for the rest of this year’s salary at half of his prorated amount (today close to $390,000) and half of his salary next season ($775,000).
Leighton could only blame his injury for the demotion - nothing else. Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky have played extremely well in net. If Leighton wasn’t hurt to start the season, Bobrovsky would likely be playing in Glens Falls today instead of him.
“I’m really disappointed,” Leighton said. “The only thing I’m disappointed in is myself and the fact that I got injured. There’s nothing I could do about that. Everyone keeps telling me that it’s not my fault for what happened. If one of these guys weren’t playing well, it would’ve made their decision a little easier. Both of these guys are playing well.
“I just haven’t played a lot.”
A lot was riding on Leighton’s first audition back in the NHL last Thursday in Los Angeles. Two shaky goals in the first 5 minutes could not have helped his plight.
And the Flyers made the choice on Monday that they weren’t willing to jeopardize any wins this season - by not having their other two goalies well-enough prepared - to wait for Leighton to get back in gear.
“I played four games [on rehab in the AHL] and then I took 3 weeks off,” Leighton explained. “To come back and have two practices and then play one game, it’s tough. Some shaky goals went in. Whether it’s the rest of the year or at least for the next little while.
“I guess it just had to happen.”
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ouch, it's bad when losers like the Isles dont want you . good luck , mike.— debbyt- After not disclosing his injury to Homer during the contract negotiations I wouldn't be surprised to see Backlund called up if there was an injury to one of the goaltenders just out of spite.— chham57
- Well, Leighton is pretty much now stuck in Adirondack until the end of the year. In order to come back to the Flyers, he would need clear re-entry waivers, which means any team can grab him, but only pay half of his salary, while the Flyers pay the other half. So it is very unlikely that he can play for the Flyers again this season.— AreaMan
- Hopefully, he just goes down to the Phantoms, gets himself healthy and plays well. Sucks for him, but it's more a cap issue than him.— JSaq
We still need a goalie. Bring Vokoun in and this team is unstoppable..its really that easy.- Considering he had back surgery, it's not surprising everybody passed on him. Also have to consider his salary as well.— JLG1
- Is Leighton an NHL goalie? NO. Confirmed, twice in the past 24 hours, by the Flyers and 29 other teams. He's back in the minors, where he belongs. Frank, please clarify his salary situation. Does he collect an NHL paycheck with the Phantoms? That would be just wrong. If he now gets AHL money with his 30th birthday just ahead, retirement looms...— eagle1971
- NHL Contracts, like MLB contracts are guaranteed. He is now getting his NHL $ and not paying the 15% escrow into the NHL players' till so he's better off moneywise in the AHL. He gets to full money no matter what happens next. Only things that change are who pays it and how much counts against whose cap.
- Wow, great news. No he can either 1) grind it out the rest of the season OR play really well. Well enough that we can trade him at the deadline instead of calling him up. If he plays well and then we try to call him up, only to lose him to another team and pay 1/2 his salary, Holmer should quit. Now that Holmer is done with this non-drama, when is he going to straighten out the mess with Zherdev and Lavy? Either play him or trade him now that he's shown (again), that he can score in the NHL.— MichaelZoe
- Seems like pretty big news and all we get from your reporter is 9 lines of text? Way to get to the heart of the matter Frank!!— rotgut
- eagle1971: i think he gets his NHL salary due to the way his contract is structured. His save percentage last year was better than both Boosh and Bob's this year (despite the latter two playing on a much better defensive team)-- guess those two are minor leaguers as well then. Debbyt: the isles don't want ANYONE who is good or expensive (meaning more than 1 million)...notice that they are just above the MINIMUM on the salary cap. The Isles obviously do not care about winning in the short term, as they are positioning themselves for a nice pick come this summer. Why would they want Leighton under those circumstances? All he would do is help them win.
- First of all, I wouldn't bash Leighton too much, since he just may be back with the Flyers next season. He is a good goalie, he is signed for next year (unlike Boucher) and his contract is relatively small. As much as you guys think he has a burdensome contract, he is the 28th highest paid goalie in the NHL this season. No one would claim him on waivers today because they know that they could get him for cheaper on re-entry waivers, or would prefer to trade some cap hit for him. It is the way the NHL works.— Hexy4GM
- Not out of the realm of possibility that he spens the rest of the season with the Phantoms and competes for the starting/backup job next year with the Flyers. He deserves better...With that said, we need a starter this year.
- snipesmorris - Are you michael leighton, posting under a pen-name?— hotelguy
- No. Why when someone points out facts that cannot be disputed that person is suddently a family member of a player or the player himself? I am just someone who watches a lot of hockey and knows how to read stats. Give both a try and the rest is not too hard to figure out.
- hexy4gm...you nailed it. nice post.— john dorian
- ...I concur — petemagoop
- Glad they did this. It eases the mind of Bob for sure. Hopefully this will give him the confidence he is lacking now knowing that management believes in him. Same for Boosh, but what's going on in between the ears of Bob is a lot more important right now! Good move.— sima_down_nah
- Glad they did this. It eases the mind of Bob for sure. Hopefully this will give him the confidence he is lacking now knowing that management believes in him. Same for Boosh, but what's going on in between the ears of Bob is a lot more important right now! Good move.— sima_down_nah
- I don't think BOB has played "extremely well" Frank. He started off great but has looked pretty marginal in the last 4 to 6 weeks. Maybe BOB should have been sent to the AHL to try and regain his form.— BobbyD
- Agree. 10 GA in two starts doesn't even get to "well", much less "extremely well". But Bob hasn't lost his form. It's that now everybody just has the tape to see what his form is.
— icarus - Good goalie???? For what the ECHL? he had a good run, thats it and it was much appreciated. he is painful to watch,he lied to the organ-EYE-zation about his back problem. See ya and hope to never see ya again in a flyers sweater.— JohnnyN
This move shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. There was no way this team could carry these three goalies. The load will have to be on Boosh because BOB is not ready for primetime. Once again goaltending will prove to be the achilles heel for this team. All this talent and we still can't get a legitimate starting goalie. I swear this team is cursed...- The BHawks winning the Cup last year proves you do not need good goaltending to win it all. And Leighton had the best save percentage and second best GAA in the playoffs last year of all the goalies. I would hardly call that an achilles heel.
- If you have watched this team over the past 5-6 years, what has been the constant weakness...goaltending. They got close last year but Leighton let in soft goals at the worst possible times. History proves that solid goaltending is key to winning and the Flyers will prove again this year they don't have it. The curse I mentioned goes back to Pelle Lindbergh's death. Other than Hextall, they have never had a solid goaltender.
- You'll get a chance to save the Flyers season again when Boucher tanks. Laviolette doesn't trust Bobrovsky, he should be in the AHL instead of watching NHL teams score on Boucher from the blueline.
- Leighton is still an unknown quantity because of his back. If he does well w/ the Phantoms, GMs will be more inclined to scoop him off of re-entry waivers. Better hope Boucher stays healthy, 'cause a "Bob & Backlund" show could be ugly. Bob needs about 2 years of coaching to teach him to stand up. He hides his crest like no one I've ever seen.— icarus
- I'm not a Leighton fan, but I can't help feel bad for him. But, he should have been upfront with his injury status before the contract. If the need arises (injuries) I hope he can sneak through re-entry waivers.— max-power
- Snipes and Hexy ... President and VP (and only members) of the Leaky Leighton fan club. He's gone guys, forever. Back on the trash heap. History. The NHL has spoken. Deal with it.— eagle1971
- Actually, I am not a Leighton fan. I'm a fan of winning. With Leighton we won, a lot (even in his one terrible outing this year!). The turnaround last year started when he joined the team. You cannot deny this. You cannot deny his numbers are better than Bob/Boosh. He was not good in the Finals. Neither was the team- the D was worn out and Carter and company forgot how to hit the net. But if Leighton gives you the scapegoat you need, you go right on believing it was all his fault.
- So, who is your number one goalie for this team? I am sure it is not Boucher, because he was bad last year, and is simply a backup. Is it Bobrovsky? He has been brutal for a month and a half. Can't win, can't play a game without letting in 5 goals lately. But he had a good run to start the season...now Boucher has had a great run....hmmm. I guess it doesn't matter because Leighton let in that one goal. Put Briere on your trash heap too. He was once on waivers and no one even picked him up either. Who cares if he leads the team in goals, he must be useless too. — Hexy4GM
- Hexy4GM: If you are really a Flyers' fan then you will want the team to win and you would look forward to the future rather than lament the past.
- I am a Flyer fan who wants the team to win. I don't care about the future...in the future this offence will be dismantled due to cap restrictions. I want to win right now. That is why I thought putting the underachieving Bobrovsky in the AHL, and keeping Leighton, was the right idea. Bobrovsky will be ready next year, and is under contract. If this season ends like last season did, with an injured goalie, would you be comfortable going into the playoffs with Boucher and Backlund...or 2 rookies, Bobrovsky and Backlund? I have been a Flyer fan for 30 years, I am sick of waiting for next year. I am not lamenting the past. I am living in the now, and not too concerned about the future. — Hexy4GM
- Frank, thanks for the salary info, disgusting though it may be. Not sure how popular Leaky will be in the room in Glens Falls next to guys making less than 5 percent of his paycheck.— eagle1971
- he is not a good goalie, nor is he a complete stiff. he is mediocre. we have all seen many mediocre players have great runs (paging jodie meeks...) only to come back down to earth. in leighton's case, he can look phenomenal (conference finals) and absolutely pathetic (stanley cup finals) at any time, AND is most probably the reason the flyers lost the cup. the fact that no one wanted him for chump change is quite telling. he seems like a nice guy, but he wasn't good enough last year and he just isn't good enough this year.
- Recall that Emery had to stop playing last year because of the hip problem. The Flyers do not want to risk having another goalie with health issues. I think this team is just having bad luck with goalies.
Comment removed.- Reall don't see the point in waiving him now. They waited all year to give him one start. Bob, and his 2 way contract, should have been sent down so Leighton could play here and Bob get starts there. They had nothing to lose since noone wanted him now. If he played well, they could have traded him or kept him. Now they have no options because even if he plays well, someone will pick him up on re-entry. Only option for him is next year. So, back to why now? Are they clearing salary for a trade? Only sense I can make out of it. No sense in this so far...
he will find a job somewhere.. maybe not this season, but he will.. I wish him the best!!!— dexter55- Comment removed.
- Work on closing the 5 hole and he might make it back into the big show. Until then, he's done for this season. Th Flyers will call up Backlund before Leighton if they need a replacement because JB doesn't need to clear waivers whereas Leighton does and they won't risk losing him on re-entry waivers when Backlund will probably be just as efficient, if not more so.— Kanayd
- Boucher. Bobrumsky. Vokoun. That does sound nice......— hallux
