Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Watch: Collin Delia has the experience

Losing Corey Crawford hurts the Chicago Blackhawks right now, but in the long run, it will allow for them to start eyeing the next top goalie for this team. One player to watch is Collin Delia.

Collin Delia has already spent some time with the Chicago Blackhawks. When Corey Crawford got hurt in 2018-19, Delia played in 16 games. During which time he put up a .908 saves percentage.

Delia has the most experience playing on a poor Chicago team defensively out of any goalie on the ‘Hawks roster right now. During his previous time with the team, he has averaged 3.65 goals against per game. While that is high, Chicago hasn’t helped stop opposing teams from registering high danger scoring opportunities.

Anyone of the three Blackhawks goalies could earn the net next season; it is still anyone’s guess. However, Delia does have a little bit of an edge over the other options. While Malcolm Subban did backup Corey Crawford in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, Delia does have the most experience with the club.

Delia is signed for two more years at a million dollars a season. His contract was signed on February 11th, 2019, during one of his stints with the Blackhawks. He signed a three-year deal at the time, and it looked like he was set up to be Chicago’s next starter.

Once Corey Crawford got healthy and was back with the team, people forgot about Collin Delia. Obviously, you would rather have Corey Crawford in net, so Delia did not get much of a chance to prove himself.

Whoever is in net will not have the same regard as Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner, but luckily for Chicago, they have three goalies that they are willing to give a shot to. At least all of the team’s “eggs” aren’t going into one basket.

While Delia did show some signs of great play in the past with Chicago, it is not like he is Jonathan Quick or anything. Delia is not perfect and still needs to improve a lot before truly becoming a starting goalie in the NHL. This season should prove whether or not he has improved his game and decide whether or not Chicago will stick with him in the future, and it will allow him to learn on the fly.

Having a young prospect like goalie Drew Commesso available for the future is excellent. That being said, I am sure Stan Bowman and company would much rather see one of their three goalies succeed and take the starting position for the next few years. Which goalie do you think will start the most games next season for Chicago.