Just when we all have the situation figured out, the Blackhawks decide to throw a wrench into the mix. On Labor Day, no less.
Leave it up the the Hawks to announce a fairly surprising deal on a national holiday. The Crawford deal is a reported 6 year extension, following the 2013-14 season, and it is reportedly worth $36 million. After his very affordable $2,333,333 cap hit, this new $6 million hit will tighten things up a bit for the Blackhawks next season. The salary cap is expected to go up fairly considerably next year, but it is still going to .
I have been a Crawford supporter since 2009, but I'm not sure I'm entirely on board with giving a goalie a fairly lucrative 6 year extension. Based on recent history, long term goalie deals are extremely risky, and this one is no exception. This is not to say that he isn't a very good goalie, but the chance that Corey Crawford will be able to play out a 7 year deal (6+1 remaining year) is highly unlikely. The lower bodies of butterfly goalies take a terrible beating and they just can't hold up at an NHL level that long. Crawford will turn 29 years old on New Years Eve, and he is in what would be the the bottom end of his career. The idea of a 35 year old backstopping the Blackhawks just doesn't seem realistic.
Another subplot of this deal, is the status of new Blackhawks goalie Antti Raanta. He, no doubt, signed in Chicago to have a shot at the starting job when Crawford's deal was up next July. The chances that will happen just became exponentially lower. Raanta is going to need to blow the minds of the Hawks brass for a solid chance at a starting job anytime soon. The saving grace of this deal is that, thus far, there is no mention of a no trade clause, so the Blackhawks could move him if things go south.
All that being said, it's nice to have too much goaltending in Chicago for once. Let's enjoy it.
