A few days ago, the goal on goal was far, far below the list of concerns for the Blackhawks heading into their next qualifying series against the Oilers.
Monday’s news dealt with that.
On the first day of training camp, goalkeeper Corey Crawford was declared “unfit to play,” quickly changing one of the Blackhawks’ perceived strengths into, perhaps, their biggest question mark. With new regulations prohibiting teams from releasing medical information about players, coach Jeremy Colliton had little to say about Crawford’s long-term outlook. But several reporters in the media developed the sense that Crawford might not be an option on the list in August.
Crawford and former teammate Robin Lehner ran the Chicago network for all but 70 seconds of the 2019-20 regular season. Malcolm Subban, who was acquired in the Lehner trade, played 1:10 on March 3 against the Ducks while Crawford received medical attention.
The Blackhawks’ long-term goal situation has been a mystery for a year, considering they don’t have a NHL-level goalkeeper under contract for next season. Now, the near-term future is even darker, with the only proven Blackhawks option potentially unavailable. These are the internal options to replace Crawford:
Malcolm Subban
At 26, Subban could have a lot of hockey remaining in his career. Before coming to Chicago, Subban spent three seasons as a backup in Las Vegas, and his numbers have steadily declined for the past three seasons:
’17 -18: .910 savings percentage, 2.68 goals against average, -1.11 goals saved above average
’18 -19: .902 SV%, 2.93 GAA, -4.84 GSAA
’19 -20: .890 SV%, 3.10 GAA, -10.63 GSAA
A positive trend for Subban is that it appears to play better when it sees steady action, as Shepard Price detailed in late February. If he becomes Chicago’s No. 1 goalkeeper, he could play five games in his first week on the job, which may work in Subban’s favor. But doubts are going to revolve around Subban until he proves himself at the NHL level.
Collin Delia
Delia spent the entire ’19 -20 regular season in the AHL after making NHL appearances in the previous two seasons. At one point, he appeared to be Crawford’s apparent heir to the network and is under contract during the ’21 -22 season. However, after some AHL fights, Delia ended the season on top of the Rockford archery trio with a record of 16-13-1, 2.66 GAA and .912 SV%. A few weeks before hockey stopped in early March, Delia seemed pleased with the way she had handled a year of hockey.
Delia, also 26, had impressive starts during the ’18 -19 season, including a 46 save victory over the Wild just after Christmas. However, like Subban, Delia remains untested as the NHL’s number one goalkeeper. Still, if Crawford’s run for the vacant spot at the top of the goal-goal depth chart were hurt, Delia would likely be right behind Subban, if not with odds.
Kevin Lankinen
Lankinen’s appearance during voluntary Phase 2 workouts was a good sign, considering he was expected to lose four or five months after surgery on his left shoulder in the first week of March. By dividing AHL’s net time with Delia, Lankinen posted an 8-10-2 record with a 3.03 GAA and .909 SV% in 21 games, including a 55-save performance, the highest of his career, on 10 December to set the Rockford AHL club record for most saves in a single game
The highlight of Lankinen’s career so far remains his time on the net with Finland during the 2019 World Championship, where he posted a 7-1 record with 1.50 GAA and .942 SV% en route to the gold medal. . The 25-year-old is signed until 2022, but has not yet made his NHL debut.
Matt Tomkins
Tomkins, a 2012 seventh-round pick (199 overall) for the Blackhawks, spent the past two seasons rebounding between the IceHogs and the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. The Ohio State graduate remained in the AHL throughout the regular ’19 -20 season as part of a three-man rotation with Delia and Lankinen. Tomkins, also 26, had a record of 5-7-1, 3.12 GAA and .896 SV%, playing well enough to win a two-year NHL contract until 2021.
Tomkins has yet to make his NHL debut and it remains a significant long shot to change that factor in August.
