It looks like Chicago Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom’s NHL career is going to continue indefinitely.
Indefinitely is how long Laurent Brossoit will be out according to Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson.
Richardson said there’s no timeline for Laurent Brossoit. It has taken way longer than expected from him to recover from his meniscus surgery, and it’s basically an unknown at this point.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 9, 2024
It is a good thing Soderblom is playing better so that the Hawks are not desperate to have Brossoit return to be the backup netminder.
Soderblom’s awful 2023-24 season is a big reason the club signed Brossoit in the first place. Had Soderblom consistently put up the numbers that he has this season, the front office likely would not have brought in Brossoit.
Heck, he probably would be the Hawks’ starting goalie, as that was the hope.
What matters is Soderblom is stopping the puck, something that he did not exceed at last season, and that was his basic job function. Hence, why he was no longer in the team’s long-term plans.
He had one of the worst saves above expected last season. This year, he is in the league’s top 10.
Soderblom has a .933 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average in four starts this year. That was the type of production the team was looking for last season when the hope was he would wrestle away the No. 1 goaltender spot from Petr Mrazek.
Instead, he posted a .880 save percentage with a 3.92 GAA.
Now, starting just four of the team’s first 15 games does speak to the lack of trust the team still has in him. His failure to play well in most of his starts still brings concerns that it is just a matter of time before he reverts to that terrible goalie.
If he does continue to play well and Brossoit does eventually come back from his knee surgery, you have to wonder what the club will do. The Hawks could elect to trade Soderblom if he continues to perform at this level. They could also elect to move Brossoit in a deal.
However, Arvid would be the ideal candidate to get traded as he is a free agent after this season, whereas Brossoit was just signed to a two-year deal.
At least, the Hawks have some depth right now to withstand having Brossoit being out longer than expected.
