Sources: Blackhawks fear Corey Crawford might be out for the season

Ten days ago, Joel Quenneville was asked straight-up if he expected goaltender Corey Crawford, who has been out since Christmas with a mystery “upper-body injury,” to return to the Blackhawks lineup this season.

“Yes,” he said, without hesitation.

But it's not quite that certain. Three sources told the Sun-Times that Crawford is dealing with vertigo-like symptoms, for the second time in his career. And there is a growing concern within the organization that Crawford could miss the rest of the season, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Tuesday.

The Hawks have been unusually tight-lipped about Crawford's situation since he was put on injured reserve coming out of the Christmas break, leading to wild and rampant speculation in the hockey world. Asked nearly every day about Crawford's status, Quenneville has had no updates and no timetable for his return.

General manager Stan Bowman last week said, “There's not much to say until he's back on the ice. It's sort of status quo right now.”

Reached Tuesday night, a Hawks spokesperson declined to comment, citing the team's standard protocol of not discussing injury specifics.

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• This report was produced in partnership with the Chicago Sun-Times. For related coverage, check chicago.suntimes.com.