Hawks sign goalie Crawford to 1-year deal

By Chris Kuc | Tribune staff reporter Corey Crawford will get another year to prove he's the Blackhawks' goaltender of the future. The Hawks signed the 23-year-old restricted free agent to a one-year deal Monday that keeps him in the team's long-range mix at goalie. "It's a pretty big thing to sign another contract after your entry level," Crawford said. "For me right now it's just waiting for my chance." Crawford appeared in five games with the Hawks last season and had a 1-2 record and 2.14 goals-against average. The victory was a 3-0 shutout of the then-defending champion Anaheim Ducks on March 5 in his second career NHL start. Barring a trade or injury involving veterans Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet, Crawford is expected to return to Rockford of the AHL and eventually battle another free-agent signee, Antti... [read full story]