Post 2017-2018 Blackhawks Report Cards: In The Twine

The Hawks used a whopping six goaltenders this season which offers a clue as to what the hell went on back there.  Two of these six guys did practically everything that was asked of them while the others blew warm and cold over the course of the season.  Yes, warm....merely warm.
With the caveat that these lads worked behind a ridiculously inconsistent defense group, here we go.

J-F Berubé 

Only one of the six men mentioned here today is a bona fide NHL-quality netminder and J-F Berubé is not that guy.  He failed to distinguish himself over two seasons in The Islanders' bullpen and, while he played his way into the #1 role in Rockford, he maintained his NHL-level mediocrity over 10 starts in Chicago.  J-F would likely have seen more action had he not himself been injured when Corey Crawford went on the Disabled List.  Sorry to be harsh but Berubé is a third-stringer, at best, his effort rating a C.

Corey Crawford

In a mere 27 starts Crow managed 16 wins.  That in itself is not especially great, but consider that the other Hawks goaltenders combined took only 17 wins in twice as many games and it looks a lot more impressive.  Crawford did have a couple of pretty rough outings but, aside from those, did everything we expect from him and stole more than a few wins on his own.  At the time of his injury Crow's Save Percentage (SP) and Goals Against Average (GAA) were 0.929 and 2.27, both of which exceeded his career averages.  Things could have been different had Crow been around all year.  A

Collin Delia

Young Delia had only two NHL starts in this, his first pro season, but showed well enough to suggest that there may be something there for the future, if not the present.  Delia was outstanding in his debut vs. WPG despite leaving late in the game due to dehydration/cramping, but much less so in his second start vs. COL.  This is a guy, though, who started the year in The ECHL, assumed the starter role in AHL Rockford during the winter and, as mentioned, had a brief look in Chicago, so even though he didn't set the NHL world on fire the progress he'd made is admirable.  Delia was on the bench for The IceHogs last several playoff games, however, so we hope that both he and The Hawks organization judge his overall perfomance and not just his last few starts.  I wouldn't be shocked to see Delia nab the backup role in Chicago, come September.   Incomplete, but promising.

Anton Forsberg

Bergie enjoyed the most starts of all of The Hawks' goalies this season....even if we didn't always find them enjoyable.  He may be the most frustrating netminder I've ever witnessed, often making saves he had no business making and ably surviving far-too-long goal mouth scrambles, yet he allowed at least one soft goal in every game he played.  Still, he posted the second-best stats after Crawford (0.908 / 2.97) setting career-bests along the way.  His inability to put together even one complete game all year is a problem, though.  B-

Scott Foster

Talk about exceeding expectations.  Foster provided the single-most entertaining fifteen minutes of The Hawks' miserable season.  Probably should be Incomplete but fuck it A++

Jeff Glass

Prior to Scott Foster's unlikely three-deep ascension to the NHL spotlight it was Jeff Glass, the 32-year-old rookie who had captured the imagination of the fans and sports media alike.  A handful of herioc performances aside, like J-F Berubé, old Glasser had no real business being in The NHL.  I'm happy for the guy, enjoyed the story and admire his determination, but there it is.  C.

Yes, The Hawks' defense were largely rubbish the the team offense anemic, but this was not a good year on the backline.  Maybe if Crow had not been injured we would have had a better result, as not only did The Hawks lose their All-World netminder but I believe they lost a ton of confidence as a group, because once Crawford went on the DL The Hawks' scoring went in the pooper, too.  It cannot have been just a coincidence.  Maybe if Forsberg stole more than one win, all season, that confidence could have been bolstered, somewhat, but no joy there, I'm afraid.

The complete collapse that occurred when Crawford was hurt is going to affect this team until such time that they have a reliable starter and backup, this group is that fragile.  I haven't heard a peep about Crow's health since he did a bit of skating in practice back in March, so we can only assume he'll be back in September and ready to lead from the back, as he's done for so long, but who knows?  Forsberg and Delia look to be the realistic backup options, perhaps with Delia beginning the season in Rockford and finishing in Chicago.  I wouldn't be alarmed or disappointed if Stan Bowman trades for a backup upgrade, but I expect whether he goes that route depends a lot on Crawford's readiness.
This is undeniable, though: if Crawford is unavailable or is injured during the season we'll be looking at a repeat of this year, barring the unlikely possibility of  Forsberg / Delia / whoever stepping forward in a very big way.  Not a very cheerful outlook.

Cam Ward

He's new.  He's old.  He's great when he plays against The Hawks but, so far, not so great when playing for The Hawks.  It's early days, Q is obviously handing Ward the keys until such time that Crow is fit to play.  That's just the way it is, folks, and we have to hope that if the netminding falters the rest of the team are able to pull some slack, 'cos if The Hawks get themselves in a hole, standings-wise, early on, this thing could be done before it even starts.