Chicago Blackhawks: Locking Up Corey Crawford Big Opening Move for Stan Bowman

The Chicago Blackhawks have a laundry list of items to address in the wake of the 2010-11 season.  Thanks to GM Stan Bowman, the first item on that list can now be scratched off.

The team announced Thursday that they had reached an agreement with Crawford on a three-year, $8 million contract for the 26-year-old goalie.

And with that, a city can exhale.

Bowman had announced his plan to negotiate a deal with Crawford's agent at the NHL draft next month.  Whether the announcement was a smoke screen or someone blinked from a negotiation standpoint, the bottom line is that the 'Hawks have a man in net for the next few seasons at a cap number that allows the club to upgrade at some other positions.

The agreement means that Crawford will make $3.25 million this season, followed by $2.25 and $2.5 million in the final two years of the contract.  The cap hit per season is $2.66 million.

Kudos to Bowman for backing up his talk of making Crawford's re-signing a priority.  He got his man without letting the terms get out of control financially.  Crawford gets the opportunity to play his way into another payday down the road, and Bowman can now focus on other personnel decisions.

There are still many items on Bowman's list for him to address in the coming months: upgrading at center, bringing in a physical defenseman and securing a backup for Crawford to name a few.  Plus, there's the trifling matter of the draft next month.

However, Bowman taking care of business early in the offseason sends the early message that the Blackhawks are serious about returning to the NHL's elite.

Credit goes where credit is due.  Stan Bowman earned the feather in his cap Thursday.

Update-May 20, 2:00 p.m. CST:  Bowman apparently also has his backup in place.  ESPN.com is reporting that he has signed Alexander Salak to a one-way, two-year contract worth about $600,000 a year.