I'm not the only one saying Crawford is done as a number one and/or Hawk goalie after this year. There are other realistic posters here.
- rpeters01

shared omniscience...nothing like it

I'm not the only one saying Crawford is done as a number one and/or Hawk goalie after this year. There are other realistic posters here.
- rpeters01

I am one of those realistic posters.
We know the risk involved with BOTH Crawford and Lehner. I do not want to debate whether either is more likely than their counterpart to experience a setback or conversely to have a solid season. It would likely not be the same reaction if it was our money, us as owner. Or if it was a stock with red flags. We're gambling on their well being.

That being said, you have to wonder exactly how good is Laakinen? If something did happen to either of our NHL goaltenders, what can we expect from Laakinen?

The common sense approach is the safest response. Crawford could have a solid.season. But with a salary cap in place, both Crawford age and concussion issue is too great a concern to give him even a short term deal near his current salary ($6mill per?).

I am a CC fan and i would like to see him do well. Sometimes though you have to make tough decisions. I am not betting against his relapse away from the rink.
I am being a wise accountant looking at his age and nothing guaranteed to prevent a career ending health injury..

Would you trade Saad and Perlini And Krys for Conners from Winnipeg,and then sign him at 7years at 8 millions.
- Tatoo

No
- DarthKane

Might need to add DeBrincat and Dach.

Might need to add DeBrincat and Dach.
- HawkintheD

Probably Boqvist too.

It's definitely the dog days of summer for hockey. Lots of spitballing and speculation on the hawks roster . 10 weeks from now the NHL Season officially opens up.

IMO when Chicago surprised everyone and selected Kirby Dach , people where in utter shock, just looking at some recent snippets of his play , Dach looks more and more ready to make the jump this year and will be a huge impact on his development , but also the teams ability to compete.


Most players after kakko and Hughes either were not ready as of now or where still at least 1 year out from even being signed to be on the teams roster or affiliate.



Regarding Crawford, only Chicago's front office knows what's behind the curtain in regards to Crawford's situation and thinking.

As much as I'm a Crawford fan and appreciate what he has accomplished , Crawford is 35 years old, has a history of concussions and hasn't played at a elite level in a few years ,

Even if Crawford stays healthy I don't believe he is the same player he once was and nor after this season would Stan sacrifice any salary or roster spot with a player who has to many negatives .

Crawford IMO ends up in the hawks organization after this year either scouting or as a goalie coach

By the same token, there is no guarantee that the other teams in the division will be as good as they were last year. There are numerous regressions and ascensions every year. You never know what adding or subtracting certain players can do to a team. Let alone injuries and additional trades.

That's the thing about the NHL these days is that it is so volatile. LA, Pitt, Chi, etc. all have been up and came back down in recent years. There wasn't a single #1 seed that made it to the second round last year. the SC winner was, at an advanced point of the year, in last place.

Obviously, we can discuss and debate the moves made (or not made), but let's enjoy the ride a bit.
- Chunk

Always. You mentioned it with StL, but how many experts had them winning it all midway through the season or possibly even when the playoffs started.

In 2015 Kane went down and the Hawks were mired in a losing streak to end the season and many board experts declared them first round fodder for whoever they faced.

I think this is shaping up to be an interesting season and could see the Hawks making the playoffs and some noise in them.

Kotkaniemi did it last year for 79 games and I'm somewhat sure he was quite a bit weaker than Dach is now... Anyways, Dach put up good numbers as a 17-18 year old (Jan. birthday). We know how the Hawks brass are and they want to win now. They aren't going to lose Dach for a year just for more confidence or seasoning or filling out in Saskatoon. For how he is seeming with his confidence, work ethic, attitude, size, smarts, etc., I don't see the Hawks letting a whole season go on with him ride busses in Western Canada all winter when he could be critical in creating match up problems every night in Chicago. We need him now. Another year of the Kane and Toews era and the Hawks are not going to be patient letting him get more seasoning if he can help now. I'm at 80/20 he is here to stay
- just69sayin

Nico has been a number 1 center for the first two years of his career and he is much slighter of frame.

It's definitely the dog days of summer for hockey. Lots of spitballing and speculation on the hawks roster . 10 weeks from now the NHL Season officially opens up.

IMO when Chicago surprised everyone and selected Kirby Dach , people where in utter shock, just looking at some recent snippets of his play , Dach looks more and more ready to make the jump this year and will be a huge impact on his development , but also the teams ability to compete.


Most players after kakko and Hughes either were not ready as of now or where still at least 1 year out from even being signed to be on the teams roster or affiliate.



Regarding Crawford, only Chicago's front office knows what's behind the curtain in regards to Crawford's situation and thinking.

As much as I'm a Crawford fan and appreciate what he has accomplished , Crawford is 35 years old, has a history of concussions and hasn't played at a elite level in a few years ,

Even if Crawford stays healthy I don't believe he is the same player he once was and nor after this season would Stan sacrifice any salary or roster spot with a player who has to many negatives .

Crawford IMO ends up in the hawks organization after this year either scouting or as a goalie coach
- Taylorst1

Not sure McD agrees with you.

Not sure McD agrees with you.
- vabeachbear

I agree that McD doesn't agree.

It's definitely the dog days of summer for hockey. Lots of spitballing and speculation on the hawks roster . 10 weeks from now the NHL Season officially opens up.

IMO when Chicago surprised everyone and selected Kirby Dach , people where in utter shock, just looking at some recent snippets of his play , Dach looks more and more ready to make the jump this year and will be a huge impact on his development , but also the teams ability to compete.


Most players after kakko and Hughes either were not ready as of now or where still at least 1 year out from even being signed to be on the teams roster or affiliate.



Regarding Crawford, only Chicago's front office knows what's behind the curtain in regards to Crawford's situation and thinking.

As much as I'm a Crawford fan and appreciate what he has accomplished , Crawford is 35 years old, has a history of concussions and hasn't played at a elite level in a few years ,

Even if Crawford stays healthy I don't believe he is the same player he once was and nor after this season would Stan sacrifice any salary or roster spot with a player who has to many negatives .

Crawford IMO ends up in the hawks organization after this year either scouting or as a goalie coach
- Taylorst1

Could also be signed for 1-2 years to be the backup at a backup salary. Wouldn’t be the worst thing to have a 2 time SC winner playing 20 games, no matter who the starter might be.

Could also be signed for 1-2 years to be the backup at a backup salary. Wouldn’t be the worst thing to have a 2 time SC winner playing 20 games, no matter who the starter might be.
- scottak

Sure anything is possible. However he would be 36 , in a 2 year period he has had 2 concussions limiting his play , and he is 1 bad hit, fall etc from being a health risk liability.

Even if you wanted to sign him as a backup , his health won't allow Chicago to take a risk should whomever either goes down or fails.

LOOK at it from this perspective , if Chicago felt comfortable with Crawford and their crop of young goalies , they wouldn't have went out and signed a 5 million dollar number 1 starting goalie?

So by that example why would they even consider a 36 year old , who has had 2 serious concussions to a backup role , if he where called upon yo step in and become a starter he isn't reliable health wise.

That's why IMO Lehner was brought in and possibly gets signed long tern next year.

Sure anything is possible. However he would be 36 , in a 2 year period he has had 2 concussions limiting his play , and he is 1 bad hit, fall etc from being a health risk liability.

Even if you wanted to sign him as a backup , his health won't allow Chicago to take a risk should whomever either goes down or fails.

LOOK at it from this perspective , if Chicago felt comfortable with Crawford and their crop of young goalies , they wouldn't have went out and signed a 5 million dollar number 1 starting goalie?

So by that example why would they even consider a 36 year old , who has had 2 serious concussions to a backup role , if he where called upon yo step in and become a starter he isn't reliable health wise.

That's why IMO Lehner was brought in and possibly gets signed long tern next year.
- Taylorst1

No, look at from this perspective.... They like their young goalies, but believe none are ready to take the load this season if Crow goes down. They are focused strongly on THIS SEASON, and need a backup goalie if Crow goes down. If Crow goes down without a capable backup, all the retooling Stan did goes for naught. So, they sign Lehner. Next year's goalie roster works itself out next summer based on events this season.

No, look at from this perspective.... They like their young goalies, but believe none are ready to take the load this season if Crow goes down. They are focused strongly on THIS SEASON, and need a backup goalie if Crow goes down. If Crow goes down without a capable backup, all the retooling Stan did goes for naught. So, they sign Lehner. Next year's goalie roster works itself out next summer based on events this season.
- mohel

I think it may be a bit of both. They do really want to win this year, hence the Lehner signing. The one year deal is a true "prove it" deal to make sure he can handle his personal life and the timeshare. He will also have to truly compete for starts, so in the end, I think its a net gain (no pun intended).

Next year, I don't think the Hawks have any real intention of bringing Crow back, but stranger things have happened. We know they love their own and continually bring them all back. I think the only real way they bring him back next year is if they find that none of the prospects takes a leap forward and they can get either or both of Crow and Lehner back on team friendly deals. The money is hard to fit otherwise.

I think it may be a bit of both. They do really want to win this year, hence the Lehner signing. The one year deal is a true "prove it" deal to make sure he can handle his personal life and the timeshare. He will also have to truly compete for starts, so in the end, I think its a net gain (no pun intended).

Next year, I don't think the Hawks have any real intention of bringing Crow back, but stranger things have happened. We know they love their own and continually bring them all back. I think the only real way they bring him back next year is if they find that none of the prospects takes a leap forward and they can get either or both of Crow and Lehner back on team friendly deals. The money is hard to fit otherwise.
- Chunk

That's a great way to summarize things up. I'd also mention that Crawford's 2 concussions make it hard for Chicago to even consider him as a backup , even if they felt one of those kids might be ready to become full-time, they would still want piece of mind in a veteran backup who can play and not cringe anytime he is in net and gets hit or knocked over and ruins his health for the rest of his life.

That's the major sticking point in all this debate.

I am one of those realistic posters.
We know the risk involved with BOTH Crawford and Lehner. I do not want to debate whether either is more likely than their counterpart to experience a setback or conversely to have a solid season. It would likely not be the same reaction if it was our money, us as owner. Or if it was a stock with red flags. We're gambling on their well being.

That being said, you have to wonder exactly how good is Laakinen? If something did happen to either of our NHL goaltenders, what can we expect from Laakinen?

The common sense approach is the safest response. Crawford could have a solid.season. But with a salary cap in place, both Crawford age and concussion issue is too great a concern to give him even a short term deal near his current salary ($6mill per?).

I am a CC fan and i would like to see him do well. Sometimes though you have to make tough decisions. I am not betting against his relapse away from the rink.
I am being a wise accountant looking at his age and nothing guaranteed to prevent a career ending health injury..
- jhawk59

Tyler says don't forget Delia. Time will tell? When something was actually expected of him, not just a novelty start but a string of them, he looked badly overwhelmed at the NHL level. Then again he was shell shocked defense was terrible. Scotty Bowman never believed in paying goalies they can be inconsistent and hard to evaluate. Look at St. Louis...

Sure anything is possible. However he would be 36 , in a 2 year period he has had 2 concussions limiting his play , and he is 1 bad hit, fall etc from being a health risk liability.

Even if you wanted to sign him as a backup , his health won't allow Chicago to take a risk should whomever either goes down or fails.

LOOK at it from this perspective , if Chicago felt comfortable with Crawford and their crop of young goalies , they wouldn't have went out and signed a 5 million dollar number 1 starting goalie?

So by that example why would they even consider a 36 year old , who has had 2 serious concussions to a backup role , if he where called upon yo step in and become a starter he isn't reliable health wise.

That's why IMO Lehner was brought in and possibly gets signed long tern next year.
- Taylorst1

Exactly, can't go back to 2015. There was a reason his contract ends now he's old!

I think it may be a bit of both. They do really want to win this year, hence the Lehner signing. The one year deal is a true "prove it" deal to make sure he can handle his personal life and the timeshare. He will also have to truly compete for starts, so in the end, I think its a net gain (no pun intended).

Next year, I don't think the Hawks have any real intention of bringing Crow back, but stranger things have happened. We know they love their own and continually bring them all back. I think the only real way they bring him back next year is if they find that none of the prospects takes a leap forward and they can get either or both of Crow and Lehner back on team friendly deals. The money is hard to fit otherwise.
- Chunk

Yep, there's lots of possibilities. Beware those predicting the future with certainty.

That's a great way to summarize things up. I'd also mention that Crawford's 2 concussions make it hard for Chicago to even consider him as a backup , even if they felt one of those kids might be ready to become full-time, they would still want piece of mind in a veteran backup who can play and not cringe anytime he is in net and gets hit or knocked over and ruins his health for the rest of his life.

That's the major sticking point in all this debate.
- Taylorst1

It's definitely a mark against him, but from everything I've read and everyone that I've spoken to on the topic, concussions are very individualized. You can have one guy that has one or two and simply can't function at all anymore, and another who can have multiple and "get through it". I don't want to sound like I'm minimizing the effects or seriousness of the condition, but in terms of athletes and how they can function with them, it is not cut and dried. Look no further than Crosby as a guy who many had concerns would not be able to come back, let alone be the player he was/is.

I think it may be a bit of both. They do really want to win this year, hence the Lehner signing. The one year deal is a true "prove it" deal to make sure he can handle his personal life and the timeshare. He will also have to truly compete for starts, so in the end, I think its a net gain (no pun intended).

Next year, I don't think the Hawks have any real intention of bringing Crow back, but stranger things have happened. We know they love their own and continually bring them all back. I think the only real way they bring him back next year is if they find that none of the prospects takes a leap forward and they can get either or both of Crow and Lehner back on team friendly deals. The money is hard to fit otherwise.
- Chunk

Ideally, this duo will push each other like Crow and Emery did back in '13, (though Jennings level goal tending with this roster is a pipe dream)...Granted, the compressed schedule that year (coupled with Crow's underwhelming p/o performance against the Yotes) lent itself to a 1A/1B arrangement.

Tyler says don't forget Delia. Time will tell? When something was actually expected of him, not just a novelty start but a string of them, he looked badly overwhelmed at the NHL level. Then again he was shell shocked defense was terrible. Scotty Bowman never believed in paying goalies they can be inconsistent and hard to evaluate. Look at St. Louis...
- rpeters01

I think it's more the latter statement than the former. To be sure Delia regressed a bit when he started to get shelled and he admitted he got far off his form after a few of those later starts. That said, there were a number of factors that played into our goalies looking like crap.

I think with most goalies, you need to first identify the guy who have the talent/form/mechanics to succeed. After that, you have to look at the guy's mental make-up. I think that is severely underrated when looking at goalies. After that, I'm a big proponent of letting them marinate a bit too long in the AHL before brining them up. It seems to make them a bit hungrier and more in tune to continue to improve their games to stay in the NHL. Obviously, this is not true of all cases, but quite the majority of them.

Ideally, this duo will push each other like Crow and Emery did back in '13, (though Jennings level goal tending with this roster is a pipe dream)...Granted, the compressed schedule that year (coupled with Crow's underwhelming p/o performance against the Yotes) lent itself to a 1A/1B arrangement.
- Davewn

While I am not expecting Jennings level, I wouldn't sell short the possibility of the team notably improving defensively this year. Between the guys that were brought in, and better familiarity with the system, I am bullish.

Interesting take on goaltending and goaltending tandems

https://www.tsn.ca/taking...tending-picture-1.1342056

IF Lehner had not become available, what moves would Stan have made and who would the Hawks be looking at to back up Crawford this season ?

IF Lehner had not become available, what moves would Stan have made and who would the Hawks be looking at to back up Crawford this season ?
- StutzBlackhawk

Probably look at UFA's Keith Kincaid or Chad Johnson, maybe Ward.

That's a great way to summarize things up. I'd also mention that Crawford's 2 concussions make it hard for Chicago to even consider him as a backup , even if they felt one of those kids might be ready to become full-time, they would still want piece of mind in a veteran backup who can play and not cringe anytime he is in net and gets hit or knocked over and ruins his health for the rest of his life.

That's the major sticking point in all this debate.
- Taylorst1

Crawford is no different than any other player in the league. All of them are one high/bad hit away from a career ending concussion. There is not one player at the NHL level that has not suffered some form of concussion in his life. Is Crawford more susceptible because he has already suffered a few over the last couple of years? The correct answer can only be....maybe. Looking at known studies, prior concussions do increase the risk of future occurrences, but it is not definitive and not linear. Some players may never have one again, others, even slight contact may cause a occurrence of symptoms.