The Chicago Blackhawks were dealt a blow yesterday, when they announced that starting goalie Corey Crawford would miss two-to-three weeks after undergoing an appendectomy on Saturday.
With Crawford unavailable yesterday, Chicago was forced to look for an emergency backup in the Philly area. Ultimately, they settled on former temple goalie Eric Semborski.
On Sunday, they got their goaltending situation in order, as they recalled Lars Johansson from the AHL.
Johansson, 29, is in his first season in North America. He played the previous 10 years over in Sweden with Mora IK, Vasteras IK and Frolunda HC.
In the AHL, he’s posted a 6-7-1 record with a 2.63 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage in 2016-17.
His numbers in the minors might not look good, but Johansson had the best goals-against-average (1.74) in the top league in Sweden last year.
The Blackhawks also sent forward Nick Schmaltz to the minors.
Schmaltz, who was Chicago’s first-round pick in 2014, made the team out of training camp, but has played limited minutes.
The 20-year-old has just one goal and three assists, while averaging 11:46 of ice time in 2016-17.
Playing a larger role with AHL Rockford should be good for his confidence.