New Jersey Devils goalkeeper Corey Crawford is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team for personal reasons, the team announced on Friday.
Crawford hasn’t practiced since the training ground opened for the team last week. His absences were first described as “maintenance days” by coach Lindy Ruff, before the team said he would take days off on Wednesday and Thursday.
“We need to give him space,” Trails Zajac, a Devils veteran, told reporters on Thursday. “Obviously, nobody knows each other better than him, so obviously we want him to be part of this team, but I think that from now on, he will have to make that decision. I think he can take as long as he needs. We want him here. “
Crawford, 36, signed a two-year contract with the Devils in the past off-season with an average annual value of $ 3.9 million. He was the starting goalkeeper for the Chicago Blackhawks since 2010-11 – and helped them to two Stanley Cup championships – but the team decided not to sign him again this season.
The Devils needed a veteran goalkeeper after buying Cory Schneider, and Crawford was supposed to share the network with Mackenzie Blackwood, 24, who re-signed a $ 8.4 million contract for three years before the training camp started. .
New Jersey has three other goalkeepers on its camp list: Scott Wedgewood (24 NHL experience games), Gilles Senn (two NHL experience games) and Evan Cormier (0 NHL experience games).
Crawford ended his career at the Blackhawks in third place in the franchise’s history, with 260 career wins, behind only Tony Esposito and Glen Hall. Crawford is the leader of the Blackhawks franchise in post-season victories (52) and is the only goalkeeper in the history of the team with several Stanley Cups.