Chicago Blackhawks: Corey Crawford could be out for season
The Chicago Blackhawks could be without star goaltender Corey Crawford for the rest of the 2017-18 NHL season.
The Chicago Blackhawks rely heavily on a core of players. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith. You can count star goaltender Corey Crawford among them as well. When he’s been on the ice, very few, if any, goaltenders have been better. Crawford has been out since late December with an injury.
According to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Blackhawks could be without him for the rest of the season. He cites Crawford suffering from symptoms tied to vertigo. Obviously, vertigo is hard to come back from. The timeline for Crawford’s return has been kept very quiet by the Blackhawks.
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That should concern Hawks fans. Chicago is usually pretty open about injuries, which is quite rare for an NHL team. Remember, the Blackhawks weren’t afraid to say Crawford got injured while in a mosh pit at a concert. So their silence regarding their goaltender right now should be setting off a ton of red flags for fans.
What Should They Do?
The Blackhawks have two options. They can either stay with Jeff Glass and Anton Forsberg, hoping Crawford will return at some point this season. Or the Blackhawks can be pro-active and acquire a starting goaltender. Glass is starting to cool off after a hot start. Forsberg has never been a starter, and it’s becoming obvious why.
There are several options out there for the Blackhawks, who are still in “win now” mode. The best one out there is probably Robin Lehner of the Buffalo Sabres. He’s been very good despite having terrible play in front of him. Also, Lehner will be a restricted free agent after this season, so the Blackhawks could move on from him after this year.
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Another option is Petr Mrazek of the Detroit Red Wings. Much like Lehner, he will be a restricted free agent after this season. His numbers, however, have not been as encouraging as Lehner’s.
The Blackhawks are stuck in a really bad situation right now because Crawford’s a significant part of the team. With their Stanley Cup window quickly closing, Chicago has some very difficult decisions to make.