Make or break season for Crawford?

[JBM73]

This season will be critical for Crawford - Chicago Blackhawks Blog - ESPN Chicago

 

[anotheridiot]

I cant see Crow here for the long term. Anti Niemi had just won the cup and an arbitrator set his salary at 2.75 and they declined. I think Crawfords cap hit is 2.66 this season, and with them being able to keep Raanta next season for about what Crow got when Niemi left, I think the same thing will happen. We will not see a 4-7 million dollar goaltender in chicago nets.

 

[JBM73]

I cant see Crow here for the long term. Anti Niemi had just won the cup and an arbitrator set his salary at 2.75 and they declined. I think Crawfords cap hit is 2.66 this season, and with them being able to keep Raanta next season for about what Crow got when Niemi left, I think the same thing will happen. We will not see a 4-7 million dollar goaltender in chicago nets.

I agree for the most part, he's not worth $4 mil+, but i think it depends as much on Raanta's development or having another viable option as much as it does on Crawford's play. They could get forced into resigning Crawford.

 

[gmalis1]

I'm gonna dispute a whole bunch of things said about Corey Crawford on this brief thread (and other places).

This is NOT a make or break season for Corey Crawford. That was last season. Another mediocre season with a flop in the playoffs would have sunk his career, ruined his confidence and had the Blackhawks looking for another goalie to get them to the next level for this year.

But that didn't happen. Crawford played very well, if not spectacularly, through the regular season and really shined in the playoffs. Crawford and Emery won the Jennings Trophy signifying the goalies that give up the least amount of goals in a season. Crawford had a great goals against average and save percentage...and then followed that up with even better stats in the playoffs by outplaying Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Quick and Tuuka Rask...all who were supposed to be better and more dependable than Crawford.

Now, that being said, Crawford needs to have another top five or six year this season. He may slip a little, since last season would be difficult to follow. And with 2 inches off the goalie pads, every goalies stats will suffer slightly.

If Corey regresses to a mediocre middle-of-the-pack goalie, then I don't think he deserves a $4-5 million a year contract. But if Corey remains a top 5 or 6 goalie in the NHL, the Hawks will give him the money.

I love how everyone is all over the Antti Raanta bandwagon. Everyone loves the backup goalie...until they become the starter and fall flat. We all know pretty much NOTHING about how Raanta will play in the AHL, let alone if he gets to the NHL. Cart way before the horse, in my opinion.

Goalies take time to mature. Crawford included. And after last season, I was really happy for him more than any other Hawks player for the way he played after all the abuse he had taken prior to last season.

I don't think the Hawks can afford NOT to resign Crawford after this season. Pretty sure the Hawks would like to see some stability in that position. Been a long time since the Hawks had that. And I don't think $4 million is out of line for a top five goalie.

 

[JBM73]

I think the question is, regardless of the stats he posted last year behind the best team defense in the league, whether Crawford is truly a top 5 goalie. If he is, then yes he deserves $4 mil.+. I am on the side of those who believe he is at least as much a product of the team as he is on his own talent, and is not a true top 5 goalie. How quickly we forget how maligned he was in 2011/12 when playing behind a more average team D.

 

[gmalis1]

Isn't that the key for EVERY team's goalie? The first line of defense IS the defense. Stick Jonathan Quick on a lousy team and he's average at best and maybe worse than that.

So, if Crawford and the defense mesh together, I'm all for that. I don't feel that even with the Hawks defense last season that you just throw some Joe Shmoe out on the ice to play goalie and expect to have success. Rewind that thought to Cristobal Huet in 2010. Hawks had a great defense that year as well, but Huet cost him games.

I'm not so sure the Hawks organization would like to be looking around for another goalie after this season and just let Crawford walk due to a couple of million. Really, I don't. The cap will increase next year and if Crawford has a top 5 or 6 season even with the Hawks defense I think the brass will sign him.

 

[anotheridiot]

I dont think anyone will disagree that Crow is worth a 4-5 million dollar contract. I just think we mostly agree that he wont get it here. I know its ancient history, but paying Huet two years to not play will not happen again.

There are just too many people to pay. Shawzee is still at 577k. Kane and Toews are up after next year, both reportedly looking for the 9 million range. Toews might get a hossa lifelong contract, but worrying about kane, toews, shaw, saad, oduya, kruger, leddy and or whoever steps up next year who will be a RFA just cant let the hawks afford a 5 million dollar goaltender.

I am not saying Raanta is gonna be a cup winning goalie, I am just saying the hawks develop goalies slowly, but when they get here they can play and next one is getting lined up.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

If it were any other team but the Blackhawks, Crawford would have to get his due props. Dude could easily be Cup winning goalie & a gold medal winning goalie within the span of a year, but since the Hawks have proven they don't really need a go to goalie to win Cups then Crawford becomes expendable just like Niemi.

 

[HockeyDoug]

Hawks are years away from getting anybody not named Raanta ready to contribute on the big team. He'll have to get 5.3 like Howard at least. Thankfully, Quick took less to stay home. Maybe the Hawks can get lucky with a 4.5 x 6 or 7 or something. It might be wishful thinking. He turns 29 in Dec, so he still has 4 to 6 years where he should still be able to perform well. The goalie market is a still a little goofy. GMs are moving away from paying them like they did 5 or 6 years ago (as a % of the cap).

 

[HockeyDoug]

I'm not Crawford's biggest fan or critic, but since the Hawks don't have anybody to even lock up the back up spot, I don't think we can assume Crawford is expendable. Getting 50 starts out of a goalie is no sure thing. A UFA goalie is going to be more expensive than they are worth (see khabi) as it is.

If Raanta is the real deal in Rockford or if Simpson or Carruth make a monster stride this year (which I doubt), I'll be okay with letting Crawford go for a cap hit greater than 5 million. Otherwise, I think they have to keep him.

 

[JBM73]

If Raanta is the real deal in Rockford or if Simpson or Carruth make a monster stride this year (which I doubt), I'll be okay with letting Crawford go for a cap hit greater than 5 million. Otherwise, I think they have to keep him.

Agreed.

 

[ChicagoIrish]

Let's keep in mind, that on this team Crawford doesn't have to be a top 5 goalie. All Crawford has to do, is just be good enough. And good enough is exactly what he did last year, actually he was damn good. Better than what Niemi was in 2010.

 

[gmalis1]

Let's keep in mind, that on this team Crawford doesn't have to be a top 5 goalie. All Crawford has to do, is just be good enough. And good enough is exactly what he did last year, actually he was damn good. Better than what Niemi was in 2010.

Yes, he actually does have to be a top 5 goalie. The previous year with a team that was worse defensively, he was a middle of the pack to lower part of the pack of goalies. See how far the Hawks got with that...not very far. 9 game losing streak. Eked into the playoffs. One and done with a couple of games that were Crawford's losses.

So, I think he has to be in the top 5 once again for the Hawks to succeed. But Crawford usually sees so many fewer shots than most team's goalies due to the Hawks defense, the blocked shots and the offensive puck possession time that he only needs to make the saves he is supposed to make and a few more than that which may be on the slightly very good to spectacular side.

 

[ChicagoIrish]

But Crawford usually sees so many fewer shots than most team's goalies due to the Hawks defense, the blocked shots and the offensive puck possession time that he only needs to make the saves he is supposed to make and a few more than that which may be on the slightly very good to spectacular side.

My point exactly.

 

[gmalis1]

Well, you said he doesn't have to be a top 5 goalie. But I disagree with that. He was last year and the Hawks won it all.

The year before he wasn't and they didn't.

I don't see how you can make a statement saying that a team can be a Cup winner without their goalie being a top 5 goalie...especially during the playoffs.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

Do the Blackhawks still have Henrik Karlsson? I played as the IceHogs a lot on NHL 13 and he used to always come up big for me. Used to be able to beat the Blackhawks with the IceHogs because Karlsson used to steal games for me. Noticed no one brought up his name as a possible replacement for Crawford so I was wondering.

 

[HockeyDoug]

He signed in Sweden, I don't know if he's going to be in North America. He's going to be 30 this fall.

 

[DoobeeDoobeeDoo]

He signed in Sweden, I don't know if he's going to be in North America. He's going to be 30 this fall.

Wow, didn't realize he was that old. Oh well, scratch what I said about him then.

 

[Baseballnut77]

If raanta is everything he is cracked up to be Crawford will be gone barring a once in a lifetime season that forces the hawks to keep him. There is no need to pay Crawford 5 or 6 million dollars a year if you can sign raanta to a3 or 4 year deal after the season for 1 or 2. yes thecap is going to go up but letsnot forget we are not to far away from having to reup with kane and captain serious

 

[gmalis1]

And if the cap rises by $10 million next season, then what? And what if it goes up another $8-10 million the year after, when Kane's and Toews' contracts are up?

Being smart when it comes to contracts is one thing. Being stupid is another. You want to play merry go round when it comes to your goalies, fine. I'm not one who believes in that.

If Crawford plays to the level he did this season and the Hawks go deep in the playoffs again (yes, they don't have to win it all, even though that would be fantastic), then Crawford will deserve and get a big raise. He will have established himself as one of the elite goalies in the NHL and you pay elite goalies elite type of money. If he asks for $5-6 million a season, then I think you give it to him, what with the cap increasing dramatically for next season. And $5 million is less than $2.4 million more than what he is making now...so it's not like it's a huge increase.

And what if he stands on his head again this season, the Hawks win the Cup again and his GAA in the playoffs is outstanding. What then? You gonna let him walk for a million MORE? I don't think so.

If he has a mediocre season and regresses to a middle of the pack goalie, then Crawford loses his leverage, he signs for a more moderate contract of about $4-4.5 million and that's such a small increase over his $2.66 million it's not even worth discussing whether to sign him or not.

And as to Antti Raanta, has anyone on this thread seen him play a minute of any game? Geez, what happens if he stinks it up at Rockford? What happens if he is just mediocre? What happens if he lights it up and is the best thing since Dominick Hasek? If the third occurs, that's a wonderful problem to have. Raanta and Crawford can duke it out in 2014 at training camp to determine who the starter is. If the first or second scenario holds true, you're all a bunch of idiots and Crawford needs to be re-signed.

Why is that everyone is in love with the backup or minor league goalie? I don't understand it. Same thing for backup quarterbacks. Everyone wants them to be the starter, until they DO become the starter and they suck. Raanta is not a sure thing. I hope he is. But for now my money's on Crawford having another standout season.