With all the excitement of the Chicago Cubs being back in the postseason for the first time since 2008, it has been somewhat forgotten that the Chicago Blackhawks open up the 2015-2016 regular season Wednesday night against the New York Rangers. There will be a banner raising ceremony before the game, and it is going to be great hearing Eddie O and Pat Foley’s voices ring out with excitement as they usher in a new season.

Though this offseason has been nightmarish at times, one positive aspect all Blackhawks fans can look forward to is the goaltending duo of Corey Crawford and Scott Darling. Crawford is entering his 10th season, all with the Blackhawks, while Darling is entering just his second season. The 6’6″ giant between the pipes is excited to be with his hometown team, and hopes to contribute in a big way this season. The Lemont native played a crucial role last season, and we all remember his clutch performance coming off the bench in Game 1 against the Nashville Predators making 42 saves and winning in overtime. That performance showed us all what Darling can be, and what he needs to be as Crawford has been hurt before and has hit slumps in the past. Many think Darling will be better than Crawford with more experience, and this pushes Crawford to perform so that he doesn’t lose his spot. According to the Chicago Tribune, Darling was quoted saying,

“As a backup, you’re just always ready to go, ” Darling added. “It’s kind of our job. You treat practices like games. You never know how many games you’re going to play, but I’ll take any I can get.”

Crawford is coming off his second Stanley Cup championship, and now more than ever, is exuding the confidence in net he once lacked. Crawford has a career .917 save percentage and his role is huge this season. According to Yahoo’s Sam McCaig, Crawford is the 9th best tender in the league, while Darling is someone to watch as an “honorable mention”.

Crawford has taken a lot of criticism throughout his career; however, he’s “the guy” and this is his team, no doubt about it. That being said, it’s easy to believe that Coach Joel Quenneville will have a shorter leash on Crawford considering the fact that Darling appears to be more than capable to be a starter in this league.

No. 50 has been coming into his own over the past few season and each year we do see some improvement; however, his biggest issue remains. He needs to overcome shots coming glove-side, which he and goaltending coach Jimmy Waite have been working vigorously at. Crawford is arguably coming off his best season as a pro and with another year under Waite it’s safe to assume he will continue to get better. Crawford usually sticks around 50 to 55 games played per year, so that leaves close to about 30 starts for Scott Darling.

Darling’s emergence as a more-than-capable backup gives the Blackhawks two goalies who can win games, something that’s imperative in today’s NHL. Chicago was also the only team to have two goaltenders in the top 30 in the league in 2014-15.

Keep in mind that the offense could potentially take a small step back this year with the losses of Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp, so if Chicago hopes to defend their title, the two goalies will have to be dominant down the stretch. The Blackhawks can be comfortable and confident in their new dynamic duo, and could arguably have the best goalie tandem in the game.