Corey Crawford is on pace to play 74 games this season for the Chicago Blackhawks. That's a truly unsustainable number, and the top concern for the 'Hawks right now should be securing a strong backup to get Crawford some much-needed time off.
Nikolai Khabibulin has been awful in his limited action so far for Chicago, and it's forced the team to turn to Crawford more than they would like to.
Ray Emery started 19 games for Chicago last season and was spectacular while giving Crawford enough rest to keep him fresh to make a run at the Stanley Cup. He only played in 30 games before the first round, meaning that he was more or less in middle-of-the-season shape when Chicago took on the Minnesota Wild in Round 1.
There's no lockout-shortened season to prevent Chicago's tried and true starter from becoming the tired and true starter this year, though, and the team needs to seriously consider upgrading in net prior to the Olympic break. Options are plentiful at this juncture, but it's just a matter of how the 'Hawks want to play things.
Aside from one of these options, these names are just speculation at this point.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Franklin Steele
Chicago Blackhawks’ Best Options to Replace Struggling Nikolai Khabibulin
November 8th, 2013 by Franklin Steele Leave a reply »
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