Corey Crawford’s Potential Absence Impacts New Jersey Devils’ Plans

Corey Crawford has missed the last few days of practices which has led to rumors swirling over his status with the New Jersey Devils. Without any concrete evidence, there is absolutely no reason to speculate on his future. Whatever he is going through, his teammates and organization are behind him and are respecting his privacy. If his absence continues, the Devils plans for the goaltending tandem changes. Mackenzie Blackwood would have split time with Crawford, but now it seems he could be the true number-one goalie in the organization.

The next few players on the depth chart will also step up one place. This means that Scott Wedgewood is now the backup goalie. Wedgewood has not played an NHL game since the 2017-18 season, which he split with the Devils and the Arizona Coyotes. He has struggled a bit during his times in the AHL with three separate teams since his last NHL appearance. Last season he spent with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization with the Syracuse Crunch and was the Lightning’s third goaltender during the bubble playoff season. Lindy Ruff has said he has performed well in camp and has looked solid in his starts in the team scrimmages. Wedgewood looked promising when he played with the Devils in 2015-16, even earning his first career shutout.

The only two other goalies on the roster are Evan Cormier and Gilles Senn. Cormier played himself into an AHL contract after not getting one when his draft rights expired. Last season, he spent time in the AHL and ECHL, and was even the backup for Blackwood in the NHL for a game. He had pedestrian numbers during his time playing and was only seen as a depth goaltender. Senn has played two NHL games, one as a starter and one in relief. He was solid for Binghamton in the AHL, but the pandemic cut his season short. He is seen as a future third option, likely on the taxi squad is everything works out.

If the Devils are indeed without Crawford for an extended period of time, they will have to add another goalie. The new NHL rules dictate that a team must carry three goalies at all times. With the AHL season coming up, the guess would be the organization would want Senn to play on a more consistent basis than Cormier. Blackwood, Wedgewood, and Cormier would be the three goalies on the NHL roster and taxi squad. That would leave Senn as the only goalie for Binghamton. They would need to add another goalie. Cory Schneider is with the New York Islanders, so a reunion is out of the question.

There are only three goalies that are currently free agents who have NHL experience last season. Craig Anderson, who is in Washington as a PTO and will probably sign due to the absence of Henrik Lundqvist. Garret Sparks who only played one game with the Vegas Golden Knights in relief, is on a PTO in Calgary. The third is Jimmy Howard. Howard is currently 36 and not attached to any organization. He had an abysmal record of 2-23-2 with the tanking Detroit Red Wings. He has had a serviceable career and could step into that mentor role that Crawford would have as well with Blackwood. If the Devils bring in Howard as the backup, that would allow them to use Wedgewood as the third goalie and use Cormier on the AHL level as a backup.

The hope is that Crawford comes back and is able to split the net with Blackwood and give the Devils an outside chance at playoff contention. No matter what, we hope for the best for Corey and his family, no matter what the situation is that’s keeping him away from training camp.