Corey Crawford was absent on Monday when the Chicago Blackhawks practiced for the first time since the NHL season was suspended, casting doubt on the goalkeeper’s availability for his qualifying series against the Edmonton Oilers.
Crawford, 35, “was in no condition to play or participate,” said Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton, who stayed true to the league’s strict language to talk about missing players in the COVID-19 world. There was no further news on the Crawford situation.
Crawford’s potential loss is a major blow as the Blackhawks prepare for the Oilers and their high-scoring duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The first game in his best series is scheduled for August 1 at the NHL Center in Edmonton.
Malcolm Subban, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen will have a long vision on goal while Crawford is away from the team. The Blackhawks also have Matt Tomkins on their training camp list.
“In the end, we will have to make a decision, but we want those guys to make it as difficult as possible,” Colliton said.
Crawford was on the net when Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015. He is 48-37 with a .919 save percentage and an average of 2.28 goals against in 87 playoff appearances.
Subban, Delia, Lankinen and Tomkins have played a total of 84 NHL games, with no postseason appearances. The Blackhawks had Robin Lehner on the list before he was traded to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in February in a deal that brought the 26-year-old Subban back.
“The way we handle this is, you know, we’re looking at the guys who are here and ready to play,” said Chicago general manager Stan Bowman. “And when Corey is in that group, then we can talk about Corey. But today we focus on getting back on track.”
“And we have four goalkeepers here.”
Later Monday, right-wing veteran Andrew Shaw, 28, announced on social media that he will not be playing on the Blackhawks’ restart.
Shaw, recovering from a concussion, said in an Instagram post that “these additional five months until next season would be great for my health and recovery” and that he hopes to “come back next season, better and stronger than ever.”
In his eighth season, Shaw, who has had multiple concussions, played in 26 games this season, finishing with three goals and 10 points. One of the Blackhawks’ enforcers, Shaw had a 33-minute penalty.
“There is nothing I would like more than to be back on the ice with the guys fighting for Lord Stanley,” Shaw wrote.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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