CHICAGO _ Corey Crawford's time with the Chicago Blackhawks has come to an end.
During a conference call with reporters on Thursday, general manager Stan Bowman said the team will not re-sign the goaltender that helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015.
"I had a conversation with Corey earlier today and it was an emotional talk," Bowman said.
Known to teammates and fans as "Crow," Crawford, 35, was selected in the second round of the 2003 draft and made his NHL debut with the Hawks during the 2005-06 season. He became the starter ahead of the 2010-11 season and is the eighth goalie to win 100 games for the Blackhawks.
After the team was eliminated from the playoff bubble this summer, Crawford _ the only unrestricted free agent on the active roster _ expressed his desire to return and said he was open to taking less money to stay with the team. He had an annual salary-cap hit of $6 million the last six seasons.
"I would like to be back," he said in August. "We still have a lot of great pieces on this team. To win another Stanley Cup in Chicago would be unbelievable. That's the No. 1 goal, to win one more championship."
Crawford posted a 260-162-53 record over 13 seasons with the Hawks and had a .918 save percentage and a 2.8 goals-against average during his tenure.
He won two William M. Jennings trophies, awarded to goaltenders with the fewest goals against during the regular season, and in 2011-12 he became the first Hawks goalie since Ed Belfour in the early 1990s to post back-to-back 30-win seasons.
"To be a two-time Stanley Cup champion, I think it speaks volumes," Bowman said. "He's up there with the legends: Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito, Corey Crawford."
In December 2017, Crawford suffered a serious concussion that kept him out of action until October 2018 and suffered a second serious concussion a few months after his return.
Ahead of the 2019-20 season, the Hawks signed Robin Lehner to split time with Crawford until Lehner was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights. Crawford resumed full-time starting duties the rest of the COVID-19-shortened season, including starting all of the team's postseason games.
Bowman said the Hawks hope to re-sign goaltender Malcolm Subban, who made just one appearance since being acquired in the Lehner deal in February.
