Ray Emery headed into Chicago’s training camp this year on a tryout basis hoping to show that his bounce back from a nearly career-ending hip injury last year with Anaheim wasn’t just a fluke.
Mission: Accomplished.
Emery signed a one-year, one-way $600,000 deal with Chicago this afternoon locking him in to be the backup goalie for Corey Crawford in the Windy City. Emery’s competitor for the job in camp, young prospect Alexander Salak, was sent down to AHL Rockford to become the IceHogs starting goalie and wait things out in case either Crawford or Emery gets hurt.
While Salak put up better numbers than Emery during the preseason, GM Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville are erring on the side of caution and going with the veteran over the rookie. It’s a move that makes perfectly logical sense as Salak could use a lot more game action in North America after playing abroad last year. Salak does have a year of AHL experience under his belt, but just two games in the NHL. Advantage, Emery.
Emery’s comeback from a degenerative hip condition that threatened to end his career is inspiring. Here’s to hoping good things continue to come out of this for him in Chicago.
