Return of Leighton is Like Awkward Dinner Guest

Michael Leighton is back playing, and the Flyers successfully appealed to extend his conditioning stint in the AHL. As long as he is stashed in the AHL, his salary does not count against the cap. This arrangement can only last a few games however.

How the Flyers arrive here is kind of strange. I think the Flyers jumped the gun on signing Leighton this offseason, the day before free agency. In many ways Leighton saved the season, but he was not good in the Stanley Cup Finals, and I can't imagine many teams were hoping to pounce on him in free agency. I think the Flyers would've been better off bidding for other goalies, and if that didn't work out, Leighton would likely have still been available. Either way, the Flyers signed him 2 years at $1.55m/year.

Given the free agent goalie market this offseason, that proved to be an overpayment, as more desired goalies went for basically the same price. The Flyers either believed in Leighton, or they misread the market. Given what's happening to Leighton now, I suspect it's the latter. Of course Leighton showing up to camp injured surely must've rubbed management the wrong way.

The Flyers aren't too anxious to have him back on the roster. They can absorb his salary by doing something with Walker, who has yet to dress for any games, or putting Laperriere on LTIR. Still, that leaves the Flyers with 3 goalies, which is never a desirable arrangement.

I suspect one way or another, Leighton will get in a few games, but his leash will be short. Everyone is Bobrovsky crazy right now, even if it's still very early for him. I don't think much of Leighton personally (he's been released or traded for a bag of pucks 6 times, including being waived by the Flyers in 2007--all those teams can't have been wrong), but I think the Flyers owe him at least at look after last season, and Bobrovsky and Boucher are hardly a bulletproof tandem.