It’s difficult to know if there are any legs to this story or not but TVA Sports Felix Seguin suggests Corey Crawford would be a good fit as a backup goaltender in Montreal and wonders if the Canadiens will have interest in his services as a free agent this summer?
Assuming Crawford doesn’t re-sign with the Chicago Blackhawks, Seguin writes that Crawford has been able to deliver some strong performances and should still have something in the tank. As a Montreal native, he’d be the type of player the team might target and after years of seeing him perform well against the Canadiens, perhaps GM Marc Bergevin would like to have Crawford playing for him instead of against him.
If the Canadiens could somehow land Crawford, it would also reunite the netminder with goalie coach Stephane Waite.
Landing Crawford isn’t as simple as it sounds. For the Canadiens, there are a few hurdles to jump should this be something they’re serious about. First, there’s still the issue of Crawford’s salary. Second, they’d need to determine whether or not he’d have any interest in signing with a team to play a backup role. Finally, what kind of term is he looking for as a free agent and does that make sense with Carey Price already in the fold?
Our Opinion:
It’s an interesting idea but it’s hard to imagine Crawford leaves Chicago with Robin Lehner now gone. And, with Price still Montreal’s No. 1 option (whether by choice or necessity) the Canadiens focus probably won’t be on goaltending in free agency.
We expect Bergevin to be busy, but this might not be the area that gets a lot of the talk as the season comes to an end.
Now, if Price somehow gets moved…
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