The New Jersey Devils signed free agent goalie Corey Crawford to a two-year contract worth $7.8 million, which carries a salary-cap hit of $3.9 million per season. As part of the deal Crawford will have a no-trade clause in Year 1, and an eight-team no trade list in Year Two.
Hearing this is NJ https://t.co/Cf1M0Ukzbt
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 10, 2020
Corey Crawford Signs with the Devils
Over his 13 year NHL career, Crawford has only played for the Chicago Blackhawks. He has posted 260 wins, 162 losses, and 53 overtime losses over his 473 games started. His save percentage is a .918 and his goals-against average is 2.45 over his career. He was originally drafted in the second round, 52nd overall by the Blackhawks.
Last season, Crawford went 16-20-3 over 39 starts, with a .917 save percentage and a 2.77 GAA. He let in eight fewer goals than the league average and saved nine goals above expected last season. Crawford guided the Blackhawks to the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after eliminating the Edmonton Oilers in the qualifying round. In nine games this postseason, Crawford had four wins with a 3.31 goals-against average and .907 save percentage.
Looking to the Future
Crawford is a seasoned goaltender with two Stanley Cup victories under his belt. He was a key part of the Blackhawks’ team, bailing out their defence when it was at its weakest. His play has been deteriorating, but he is still a solid starter option and works well in tandem. He is a two-time Jennings Trophy winner – the trophy awarded to the goaltender with the fewest goals allowed – in the 2012-13 season and the 2014-15 season. He ranks 15th in save percentage for the regular season (only including goalies with 30+ games started). According to advanced statistics, Crawford had 25 quality starts, meaning 64.1% of his starts were high quality. Even behind a very weak Chicago defence, Crawford was still able to perform at a high level. His numbers may not look great in comparison to other top tier goalies, but that is due to the high volume of shots he faced. Facing the 14th most shots out of any goalie, and only having three “really bad starts” (according to advanced statistics), and saving nine goals more than expected displays Crawford’s skill, even behind a weak defence.
The Devils have their tandem for the next two years. Bringing in Crawford gives Mackenzie Blackwood a mentor. The Devils have upgraded the position that was a question mark last season.
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