Corey Crawford could join the Chicago Blackhawks before they leave for Edmonton on Sunday to play in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.”We are hopeful on that,” Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said Tuesday. “We’ll be able to give you a better idea toward the weekend. It’s something we’re still shooting for, but I don’t have any definitive comment. We’re still hoping that’s the case.”
The goalie has been ruled “unfit to play” since the start of training camp July 13 and did not take part in the Blackhawks’ voluntary workouts that began June 8. As part of the NHL Return to Play Plan, a team is not permitted to disclose player injury or illness information.
The Blackhawks have four goalies in camp: Malcolm Subban, Collin Delia, Kevin Lankinen and Matt Tomkins.
Crawford was healthy this season after missing 80 games during the previous two seasons because of concussions. He went 16-20-3 with a 2.77 goals-against average in 40 games, and his .917 save percentage was tied for fifth in the NHL among goalies to play at least 40 games.
“At this point nothing’s been ruled out,” Bowman said. “We still have a fair amount of time until Aug. 1 and the first game. We’re not thinking that far ahead right now. We’re really here day to day. Right now he’s not here, so we’re focused on the other four goalies. If and when Corey’s ready, we’ll have that conversation. I think it’s best to stick with where we are today and not jump too far ahead.”
The Blackhawks (32-30-8, .514 points percentage) enter the Qualifiers as the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference and will play the No. 5 seed, the Edmonton Oilers (37-25-9, .585). Game 1 of their best-of-5 series is Aug. 1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, the hub city for the 12 Western teams. The winner will advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the loser will have a chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft in the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery, to be held Aug. 10.
Chicago also will play the St. Louis Blues in an exhibition game July 29.
“My understanding is, players who go to Edmonton with when you leave this Sunday, that’s your group,” Bowman said. “The big issue is bringing players in who are not in the bubble. You try to make as many strides as we can to keep the environment closed, so you don’t want players coming in from outside. If you have 10 guys get hurt in the first round, six weeks into the playoffs, they’ll probably have to revisit that. But that’s not the plan right now.”
Center Jonathan Toews did not practice. Defenseman Calvin de Haan returned from a family emergency.
