Between the pipes

Very many things have been going on in the offseason. Many transactions that leave loyal fans curious as well as myself. One of the most controversial signings of the offseason was the signing of veteran goaltender Michael Leighton. This recent transaction left Blackhawks fans wondering what will be happening between the pipes in the future with Chicago. With Corey Crawford as the franchise goalie currently as well as Antti Raanta as the prime backup in Chicago, This leaves many people curious as to why the Blackhawks are signing another goalie to the roster. Crawford just signed a 6 year contract at the end of last season, as well as Raanta who signed a 2 year contract extension in the offseason. Crawford will clearly be the starter unless something severe happens, and Raanta will be waiting to take his place if something were to happen.

Many people may not remember Michael Leighton, but he was the goalie that the Chicago Blackhawks played against in the 2010 Stanley Cup finals. The veteran tender will bring wisdom to the team, but he will only have a spot as the 3rd goaltender, which is the goaltender that plays primarily for the AHL affiliate team, which is the Rockford Icehogs. The time Leighton will get playing time is if Crawford and Raanta get injured, which is a very unlikely scenario. With the Blackhawks still over the salary cap, this signing of Leighton makes the loyal fans baffled as to why Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman would make such a signing in the offseason. Only time will tell whether this was a good pickup, but with the past signings of goaltender for Chicago, like Cristobal Heut being a complete bust, as well as Nikolai Khabibulin being a terrible signing at the beginning of last year, and the Blackhawks getting rid of veteran tender Ray Emery, who posted a 17-0-1 record with the team, who knows if this was in the best interest of the Hawks.