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Concerns Remain About Corey Crawford’s Health

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The other day, Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke with Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, who admitted that he won’t be carrying three goalies this season. With veteran Cam Ward now in the fold as backup, Lazerus took that to mean that young Anton Forsberg could be the odd man out, likely to be placed on waivers prior to the start of the season. Now, after speaking to the starting goaltender himself, Corey Crawford, Lazerus could be changing his tune. Although he was limited to only 28 appearances last season due to injury, Chicago has been confident that Crawford would be fully ready to begin the 2018-19 season. Not so fast says Crawford; the two-time Jennings Trophy winner admits that he is still not back to 100%.

Since before the disappointing 2017-18 campaign even came to an end, the Blackhawks have been adamant that Crawford would be back for training camp and the start of the upcoming season. Despite the fact that Crawford did not see any action after December as his recovery dragged on through the second half of the year, the team had all but assured the fans that he would be the Opening Night starter. To that promise, Crawford told the press this weekend:

“That’s hard to say right now, but it’s very possible. We’ve come a long way in the last couple months, and there’s a really good chance that could happen… (I am) feeling pretty good right now, [but] I am not at 100 percent yet… Treatments are going well, and we’re making small steps. And I’m getting a little better, so it’s a process,” he said. “It’s been a process since I left in December. It hasn’t been easy.”

Clearly, Crawford is heading in the right direction, but his own apprehension – as well as the strong emotions Lazerus noted – indicate that this injury saga may not be over just yet. Crawford’s injury has never been specified by the team, but whatever it is has taken a lot of work to get through. Crawford has no doubt that he will back to his old self at some point, but he just isn’t sure when that will be.

The Blackhawks desperately need Crawford to be back at his elite level as soon as possible and in shape to avoid further injury. Much of their struggle last season came from incompetent goaltending after Crawford, who began the year with a stellar .929 save percentage and 2.27 GAA, went down. Forsberg, Jean-Francois Berube, and Jeff Glass all struggled immensely in his absence, although Forsberg was the best of the three. Ward is a step up as backup and he and Forsberg could carry the torch for a short period, but a healthy Crawford is the only way that Chicago gets back to the postseason this year. That makes his news all the more troublesome for Blackhawks fans.

 

Snapshots: Forsberg, Korn, Karlsson

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When the Chicago Blackhawks went out and signed Cam Ward this offseason, it created a situation where the team has three goaltenders on one-way contracts. Corey Crawford, the expected starter, is working his way back from an upper-body injury (most likely a concussion) and is expected to be ready for the start of the year—though today admitted he still is “not 100 percent” yet. The team also has Anton Forsberg, acquired in last summer’s Artemi Panarin–Brandon Saad trade on a contract worth $750K at the NHL level.

Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke with head coach Joel Quenneville at today’s Blackhawks Convention, who admitted they won’t be carrying three goaltenders. As Lazerus explains, that means Forsberg will likely be placed on waivers at some point before the start of the season, giving every other team a chance at the 25-year old goaltender. Forsberg posted a .908 save percentage last season but simply wasn’t good enough to carry the load after Crawford was ruled out, something that Ward will have to try should the starter experience any setbacks or new injuries this year.

  • Mitch Korn will be joining Barry Trotz with the New York Islanders this season, after being named Director of Goaltending for the organization yesterday. Korn has been with Trotz for years, including during his time with the Nashville Predators. He’s been credited with developing (or at least polishing) goaltenders like Pekka Rinne, Braden Holtby and even Dominik Hasek over the years, a feat he’ll have to try and repeat in New York. The Islanders do have talent in their crease, especially with newcomer Robin Lehner who has shown brilliance at times throughout his NHL career but can’t seem to find much consistency. Though Korn will certainly work with Lehner and Thomas Greiss this season, his real task will be developing young Linus Soderstrom and eventually Ilya Sorokin into the elite goaltenders many believe both to have the talent to become. S0rokin is already one of the best goaltenders in the KHL, and could likely already step directly into the NHL as a starter if the Islanders could convince him to come to North America.
  • Anyone worried about Erik Karlsson’s health this season after a recovering ankle caused his play to suffer in the first half of 2017-18 need not worry, as the Ottawa Senators captain told Chris Stevenson of The Athletic (subscription required) that he’s all healed up. Karlsson dubbed his ankle 110 percent, saying that “it shouldn’t be an issue for me whatsoever” in 2018-19. You can be sure that any interested teams are listening closely, as the massive package that would be required to land Karlsson in trade would only be worth it for his former self. The 28-year old Karlsson still recorded 62 points last season after a late-season surge, but clearly wasn’t himself early on. If he’s back to the Norris-caliber defenseman he’s been for much of his career, he’ll make almost any acquiring team a powerhouse immediately.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Chris Kunitz, Cam Ward, Brandon Manning

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed three players immediately after free agency began, inking Chris Kunitz, Cam Ward and Brandon Manning. Kunitz and Ward will get one-year deals, while Manning has signed a two-year contract. Ward’s deal will pay $3MM and include a full no-trade clause.

Kunitz, who spent last season with Tampa Bay Lightning on their shutdown line, provides the Blackhawks with a veteran defensive presence, who still seems to be successful even at age 38. He, along with Ryan Callahan and Cedric Paquette, were responsible for shutting down teams’ top lines and were quite successful at it. The line was also adept at scoring as well as Kunitz scored 13 goals and totaled 29 points last season with Tampa Bay. The veteran also has lots of playoff success with his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins as he played for the franchise for nine years, winning three Stanley Cup titles.

Ward was less of a secret as the team had been rumored to be close to a deal with him for a few days already. The 13-year veteran, who played all his years in Carolina, moved into a backup role last year as he helped mentor former Blackhawk Scott Darling. However, despite that role, he still managed to play 43 games for the Hurricanes. The 34-year-old didn’t thrive as he finished with a 2.73 GAA and a .906 save percentage, but his experience and ability to handle a big load was critical for the Blackhawks who struggled after starter Corey Crawford went down for the season with a head injury in December last year. The team attempted to move forward with Anton Forsberg and Jeff Glass as their two goaltenders, but couldn’t make that work. Ward should provide more stability for the Blackhawks now.

Manning adds more defensive depth for the Blackhawks as the former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman has continued to increase his production over the course of his career as he scored seven goals and 19 points last season in 65 games and even played a more safety-conscious game this past season. However, his numbers also indicate that he’s just an adequate defender and is likely to fill the team’s need for bottom-six defenders.

Chicago Prospect Ivan Nalimov Asks For Trade

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It’s not often that a player not under contract requests a trade, but Ivan Nalimov is going for it. The Chicago Blackhawks’ 2014 sixth-round pick has asked for his rights to be dealt to another NHL team, reports The Athletic’s Scott Powers. As one of the KHL’s best young goaltenders, Nalimov feels that he has earned a shot at the NHL next season, but agent Shumi Babaev feels that the opportunity won’t come in Chicago. Nalimov has already terminated his KHL contract for next season and is solely focused on the NHL, but doesn’t want to waste the prime of his career buried in the minors behind the Blackhawks’ many goalies. As a result, the young netminder would like to be moved to a team where he might have a greater chance at play time.

Nalimov, 23, is coming off of a season that was impressive for many reasons. Right away, it is easy to tell that this was a career campaign for the homegrown Russian goaltender and former KHL first-round pick. The big keeper finally put it all together in 2017-18 and posted a .938 SV% and 2.13 GAA in 23 appearances. His save percentage was among the best in the league, fourth among all goalies with 20+ appearances, and his goals against average was in the top 15 of that same group. However, a closer inspection makes those numbers even more impressive, as Nalimov was traded mid-season. Serving behind Igor Bobkov with Admiral Vladisvostok, Nalimov proved himself to be the best backup in the KHL this season with a .942 SV% and 1.98 GAA in 17 games. With his value escalating, he was moved to Salavat Yulaev Ufa to back up Ben Scrivens and hardly missed a beat in six more games there. His numbers fell off slightly, but his performance trumped the team’s existing backup and helped Ufa in their playoff pursuit, earning Nalimov some postseason appearances of his own. Nalimov not only performed at a high level this year, but did so with two teams and was unshaken by the adjustment. It’s understandable why he feels now would be the perfect time to make the ultimate adjustment and try his hand at the NHL.

Yet, Chicago is an unlikely location for that to happen. As Powers writes, the Blackhawks have three NHL-caliber goalies already under contract for next season in starter Corey Crawford and backups Anton Forsberg and J-F Berube, not to mention another pair of prospects signed to pro deals who already seem permanently relegated to the minors next season. In speaking with both Nalimov’s agent and Chicago GM Stan Bowman, Powers states that the ’Hawks really like Nalimov, but perhaps didn’t anticipate that he would develop this quickly or wish to come overseas this soon. They also might have underestimated his ceiling, as Chicago did spend a third-round pick on German standout Wouter Peeters just two years ago. Regardless, the Blackhawks do not have to listen to Nalimov’s request and they can retain his rights perpetually, but this could sour the young goalie on coming to North America altogether. If the decision is between potentially losing Nalimov forever due to a broken relationship or trading him away for at least some type of return, Bowman and company are likely to shop the prospect this summer.

Minor Transactions: 04/02/18

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The NHL is down to the last week of the season, with all games scheduled to be wrapped up by Sunday night. With that in mind, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league and give context on how they could impact the playoff picture. Check back throughout the day to stay up to date on your favorite team.

  • According to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled Matt Tennyson from the minor leagues to help replace the injured Victor Antipin. Antipin was knocked unconscious this weekend against the Nashville Predators, and won’t play again this season. Tennyson has played 14 games for the Sabres this season, though most of his work has come in the AHL. The 27-year old defenseman is still looking for his first NHL point of the season.
  • Back and forth goes Oliver Kylington, who has been recalled once again by the Calgary Flames today. Kylington is still looking to get a chance at the NHL level, but the 20-year old defenseman has seen positive progression while in the minor leagues.
  • Thatcher Demko is on his way back to the minor leagues, in time to help the Utica Comets with their playoff push. If the AHL playoffs started today, the Comets would have to dangerous Toronto Marlies in the first round, a matchup that would really test Demko and give him an opportunity to show he’s too good for the minor leagues.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Colby Cave from the minor leagues under emergency conditions, bringing up the forward once again. Cave made his NHL debut earlier this year, and could get back into the lineup if one of the injured players for Boston can’t play.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have swapped goaltenders, recalling Jeff Glass from the minor leagues and sending Collin Delia back down. Delia had a very interesting debut, suiting up after Anton Forsberg was injured, only to suffer an injury himself and relinquish the net to emergency goaltender Scott Foster. Delia has played at three different professional levels already this season, impressive for an undrafted goaltender out of Merrimack College.
  • The Dallas Stars have reassigned Jason Dickinson to the minor leagues, giving him back to the Texas Stars for their playoff run. Texas will welcome him back with open arms, as Dickinson has 16 goals in just 36 games this season.

Minor Transactions: 03/30/18

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A busy night in the NHL brought several exciting finishes, but nothing quite like the drama that occurred in Chicago. Scott Foster, a 36-year old recreational goalie entered the game when Collin Delia was injured, and stopped all seven shots he faced en route to a first star selection and perfect NHL debut.

Because of the injuries to Anton Forsberg and Delia—who was also making his NHL debut—the Blackhawks made Jean-Francois Berube an emergency call-up, recalling the goaltender after just seeing him clear waivers this week.

Like always, we’ll keep track of all the other moves around the league:

  • Also facing goaltending problems, the Buffalo Sabres have recalled Adam Wilcox from the minor leagues. Wilcox has bounced around the minor leagues for the last few seasons, but is still waiting for his NHL debut. The 25-year old has a .903 save percentage in 28 games with the Rochester Americans this season.
  • The Dallas Stars have sent Curtis McKenzie back to the minor leagues, according to Mark Stepneski of NHL.com. McKenzie has played in just seven games for the Stars this year, and is still looking for his first goal of the season.
  • The Boston Bruins have returned Jordan Szwarz to the minor leagues, according to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal. Szwarz is having another excellent season in the AHL, recording 44 points in 46 games. His time in the NHL hasn’t been as fruitful, with just three points in 12 contests.
  • Kerby Rychel has been recalled by the Montreal Canadiens, after playing some of the best hockey of his career for the Laval Rocket of late. Rychel has registered 12 points in the 14 games since being traded from the Toronto Marlies, and could get his first taste of NHL action in more than two years. The 23-year old was a first-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets and debuted at age 20 to high expectations, but couldn’t find his footing in the NHL and was passed over by other prospects. He’ll try for a fresh start in Montreal, where they are dying for an offensive spark of any kind.

Snapshots: Tavares & Barzal, Berube, Gustavsson, Tolvanen, McLain

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Having lost 10 out of their last 11 games this season, the New York Islanders look ready to make a major change as head coach Doug Weight plans to not only shake up their lines, but also put their two best players on the same lines for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers. The move, which was actually started Friday during the second period would force John Tavares to the wing position with rookie Mathew Barzal moving next to him at the center position, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday. Jordan Eberle will take over at right wing.

“It doesn’t mean he’s going to play wing and it doesn’t mean he’s not a centerman,” Weight said of Tavares. “It’s an experiment. Moving forward it gives them some experience together. I’m excited to see it.”

One has to wonder whether the move is made to see whether Barzal and Tavares might make a good fit, which could be another incentive, if it works, to convince Tavares to stay and re-sign with the franchise at the end of the season. The team has struggled offensively recently and neither player has stood out recently. Tavares has just two goals in the team’s last 10 games, while Barzal has just three in that same span.

  • While Corey Crawford is unlikely to return this year in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks, the real test for the remainder of the year will be to determine who will end up being his backup next year. The team has both current goaltenders, Jean-Francois Berube and Anton Forsberg, under contract for one more season. According to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, the better of the two will likely assume the backup spot next year. Both are very similar as they both make the almost the same amount of money and are almost the same age. Lazerus believes that while neither goalie is perfect, Berube has been slightly more consistent than Lindholm, who has put up one of the worst save percentages in the league since Feb. 1 (.889) and has already been pulled six times this season.
  • The Ottawa Senators got some good news as 19-year-old prospect goaltender Filip Gustavsson is heading for the AHL. According to the Ottawaw Citizen’s Ken Warren, Gustavsson, who the Senators acquired in the Derick Brassard trade from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, is expected to report to the Belleville Senators as his Lulea team in the Swedish Elite League was eliminated from the playoffs. He played 22 games in the SHL with a 2.07 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
  • On the other hand, the Nashville Predators are still keeping a close eye on the KHL playoffs as they watch the play of Eeli Tolvanen of Jokerit. The 2017 first-rounder saw his team drop their second straight playoff game to CSKA and if they get swept, Tolvanen could be free to sign with the Predators for their playoff run as early as Tuesday.
  • On a minor league note, the Iowa Wild of the AHL announced they signed Bowling Green forward Mitch McLain to an Amateur Tryout Agreement. The former captain was an nominee for the Hobey Baker Award and scored 53 goals for Bowling Green over the course of four seasons.

Blackhawks Place Corey Crawford On IR

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Seemingly out of nowhere, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed All-Star goaltender Corey Crawford on the injured reserve today, the team announced. The team has recalled J-F Berube from the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs and he and Anton Forsberg will man the Chicago net for as long as Crawford is out with his unidentified injury.

Crawford not only played all sixty minutes for the Blackhawks last night, but even put in some extra time in an overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. At no point was there any clear injury to Crawford, nor did he leave the ice for any span of time. Yet, the Chicago keeper is headed to the IR, putting his team in a tough spot for an indeterminate amount of time. While Crawford has easily been a top ten NHL goalie this season, single-handedly winning some games for the defense-deficient ’Hawks while posting a truly impressive .930 save percentage. Now, he’ll be substituted for two new players to Chicago that have yet to impress. Forsberg, a piece of the Artemi Panarin–Brandon Saad deal, has struggled mightily as Crawford’s backup so far. He has just one win and a 3.67 GAA in five appearance. He’s now the impromptu starter, with Berube – who has been nothing more than pedestrian in the AHL – as the primary backup. Until more is known about Crawford’s condition, this is a scary situation for the Blackhawks, who now have an inexperienced and struggling duo behind an inconsistent defense.

Fortunately, Chicago is quite out of it just yet, despite some early season issues. Their 28 points puts them outside the Central Division’s top three spots, but well within the wild card mix. Even without Crawford, upcoming match-ups with Buffalo, Arizona, and Florida favor the Blackhawks and a quick return for Crawford from whatever ails him could mean little harm comes from this whole unexpected ordeal. A long-term injury is whole other discussion though…

Tyler Motte Recalled By Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled the other piece of this summer’s Brandon Saad trade, promoting Tyler Motte to the NHL. Motte was acquired along with Artemi Panarin from the Chicago Blackhawks this offseason, in exchange for Brandon Saad and goaltender Anton Forsberg.

Motte has been off to a quick start with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, scoring seven points in his first seven games to lead the team. His five goals also easily pace the club, as the 22-year old is starting to come into his own offensively. Originally selected in the fourth-round by the Blackhawks in 2013, he exploded during his junior year at the University of Michigan to the tune of 32 goals and 56 points in 38 games. Motte was a Hobey Baker finalist while skating on a line with J.T. Compher (Colorado) and Kyle Connor (Winnipeg).

The recall of Motte may mean a longer timeline for Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson, who was injured during Saturday’s 4-1 loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues. Atkinson had a rough night in St. Louis, and is currently out with a lower-body injury. Motte offers some of the offensive game that Atkinson normally provides, and could quickly find himself thrust into important minutes with the NHL club.

Motte did play 33 games for the Blackhawks last season, registering seven points fewer than 12 minutes a night. The young forward has experience at center, though could be tasked to start his Columbus career on the wing. The Blue Jackets, who are already without Lukas Sedlak for another several weeks, will have their forward depth tested should Atkinson remain out for any substantial length of time.

Oscar Dansk Looking For Career Revival In Vegas

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23 years old is still very young for a goaltender. Yet, that didn’t stop many people from writing off Oscar Dansk over the last few years and that was when he was even younger. The path that has led Dansk to a new NHL opportunity with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights has not be straight, nor has it been easy. However, with rave review after rave review coming out of Knights camp, it appears that Dansk may be back on track.

Dansk was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the first pick in the second round (#31) of the 2012 NHL draft, out of the Swedish club Brynas. With some prodding from the Jackets, Dansk then came overseas to play junior hockey with the OHL’s Erie Otters. Dansk’s first season of major junior action was a disaster; a 4.11 GAA and .888 save percentage immediately made people rethink Columbus’ decision to take him so early. Yet, Dansk bounced back in his second season in Erie. Thus, when Dansk struggled mightily in his first pro season in 2014-15 – a 3.50+ GAA and sub-.890 save percentage in both the AHL and ECHL – it would have been safe to assume that the next year he would rebound. However, the Blue Jackets had selected Joonas Korpisalo one round after Dansk in 2012 and had slowly been bringing along 2011 seventh-rounder Anton Forsberg as well and that duo had outperformed Dansk. Add in veteran Brad Thiessen, and the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters had more than enough depth in net (and it would eventually lead them to a Calder Cup title in 2015-16). Rather than permanently put Dansk in the ECHL, Columbus agreed to loan him back to Sweden to play for Rogle BK. Dansk performed well in his first season back home, but the Jackets still chose to loan him out again last season. Following a more pedestrian campaign in 2016-17, Dansk did not receive a qualifying offer from Columbus and his NHL future seemed very much in doubt.

Enter the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL’s newest team and an organization that needed to fill out the majority of an AHL roster almost entirely with free agent additions. Dansk got a second chance to make a name for himself in North America, inking a one-year with Vegas in early July. Dansk’s first objective is to win the starting job for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, the new affiliate of the Knights. His competition is former Dallas Stars’ prospect Maxime Lagace, who has had his own fair share of struggles early on in his career. Given the applause that Dansk has already seen in camp, that seems like a safe bet. Once Dansk is established as the next goalie in line in 2017-18, he need only wait for an opportunity to show Vegas what he has to offer. With veteran Marc-Andre Fleury coming off back-to-back seasons in which he shared the net in Pittsburgh and having suffered a concussion in each of those campaigns as well, it is possible that taking over a starter’s workload again could prove to be a tougher task than one might have considered. If Fleury misses time this season, which is surely a possibility, the Knights are set with promising young backup Calvin Pickard. And if Pickard needs a rest? Then Dansk is the man, and s career that went from a high likelihood of NHL success to a high likelihood that he may never even see NHL action will suddenly be back to where it began when he was drafted early back in 2012.

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