The report said Chicago also had interest in free agent goalies Jonathan Bernier of the Colorado Avalanche and Carter Hutton of the St. Louis Blues.
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Ward's agent, Rick Curran, told the News & Observer on Thursday that five teams contacted Ward and three had extensive interviews with him. Curran confirmed the Blackhawks were one of the three but did not name any of the other teams.
The Blackhawks are unsure of the status of goalie Corey Crawford, who did not play the final 47 games of the season because of an upper-body injury. Crawford has not skated but is expected to be ready for training camp, coach Joel Quenneville said June 22. The 33-year-old was 16-9-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .929 save percentage this season.
Chicago on Wednesday traded goalie Jean-Francois Berube to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Jordan Schroeder. Berube made 10 starts this season, Anton Forsberg made 30 and Jeff Glass made 13.
Bernier, 29, was 19-13-3 with a 2.85 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and two shutouts in 37 games with the Avalanche, including a nine-game winning streak from Dec. 31-Jan. 22. He was 1-3 with a 3.87 GAA and .883 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hutton, 32, was 17-7-3 with a 2.09 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and three shutouts in 32 games with the Blues. He ranked first in the NHL in GAA and save percentage among goalies who played at least 20 games.
