The New Jersey Devils unexpectedly made one of the top goaltending rookies on a 2020 NHL Free Agency goaltending day opener by snatching Corey Crawford The Devils signed Crawford to a manageable amount of $ 7 over two years 8 million contracts
This equates to a cap of $ 3.9M, which runs through 2021-2022 (The Devils explained that Crawford’s salary increases from $ 3.6M in 2020-2021 to $ 4.2m in 2021-2022)
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« We are delighted to bring Corey to our organization as he is a proven winner and two-time Stanley Cup champion, » said Tom Fitzgerald, Devils general manager. « We are counting on him to take on a leadership role and be a strong presence for our young nucleus Crawford’s level of competition and ability to fight will rub off on the whole group This opportunity also presents him with a new challenge in his career »
If you think the momentum can shift from a good ending to a season, then the combination of Crawford and Mackenzie Blackwood could torment opponents in 2020-21
When you look at Crawford’s 917% savings over last season, you’re probably already impressed. Especially that he succeeded behind a Blackhawks defense that ranked among the worst in the NHL
But it gets more impressive once you zoom in. As of January, Crawford’s savings percentage hasn’t dropped below 927
Corey Crawford, signed 2x $ 3 9 by NJ, not finished yet He was fantastic this season behind the worst defense in the league He faced plenty of danger chances and stopped them at an incredible rate #NJDevils picTwittercom / ywPoQpA8pV
(Honestly, if the Blackhawks were able to bring Crawford back for less than $ 4 million a season, it’s disappointing that they let him work Unless, of course, they actually wanted to « tank » So maybe being that it was smart, so cynical)
If you hadn’t been paying attention to the lowly demons, you might have missed how successful Blackwood was until the end of 2019-2020
After generating a mediocre 905 save percentage in 35 games before the All-Star break, Blackwood had a superb 8-2-2 record with a 937% save over his last 12 appearances (Crawford after the star break: 927 save percentages in 15 games played)
So Crawford, 35, Can Frame Blackwood, 23 With the way the NHL is going, especially given a possibly condensed timeline, the squads make perfect sense
Naturally there is a risk with Crawford including his contract status 35 The Devils have yet to resolve Blackwood’s situation as he is currently on a call for demands
But compared to Cory Schneider sadly purifying himself on his hat, the Devils can now move on and the Devils just might find themselves with one of the best goalie combos in the NHL after signing Crawford
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(Of course, Schneider also shows us how quickly a goalkeeper’s game can fall apart, so who knows?)
Kevin Shattenkirk, ProHockeyTalk 2020 free agency tracker in the NHL, uses rebound year to cash with Ducks NHL Power Rankings: Best free agents for the 2020 offseason
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports Message him on phtblog @ nbcsportscom or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins
Corey Crawford, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Stanley Cup, Goalie, National Hockey League, MacKenzie Blackwood
World News – CA – Devils cleverly sign Corey Crawford for two years, $ 7 8 M
