Laurent Brossoit Signing Could Be Sneaky Good for the Blackhawks

Knowing that Petr Mrazek can’t do it all alone, and that Arvid Soderblom is still coming along, Kyle Davidson and the Chicago Blackhawks went looking for more help between the pipes. Hello Laurent Brossoit.

Brossoit was signed to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $3.3M and had stellar numbers in a tandem with Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg. The 31-year-old netminder went 15-5-2 and a .927 save percentage and could have shared in the Jennings Trophy with Hellebuyck had he played just two more games. In his only appearance against the Blackhawks last year, Brossoit gave up one goal and made 20 saves in a 2-1 win over Chicago. The Jets got their pair of goals late in the third, made possible by Brossoit who kept the Hawks at bay and kept Winnipeg’s winning streak going to eight.

Richardson Sees Laurent Brossoit As Another Valuable Veteran

Head coach Luke Richardson immediately recalled how Brossoit played against the Blackhawks that night, calling it a “solid game.” But Brossoit’s value comes in giving the team another battle tested veteran in the crease–an invaluable asset for a young team figuring things out.

“He’s a big guy and he’s got a lot of leadership qualities,” Richardson said.  “Being a veteran, so helping younger D — like Petr mentioned many times, as well, with him doing that on the ice and in practice and in games even.”

Much of last year’s struggles went beyond goal scoring which also stretched a depleted blue line corps, which then put Mrazek and Soderblom into the difficult position of having to play all but perfect hockey most nights. While Mrazek posted a career year, Soderblom struggled at times. While this isn’t an indictment on Soderblom and more the strength of the roster, Richardson did note that another veteran presence in the net will help with communication and helping the young core find its way.

“Vlasic had a great year, but he’s still a young guy,” Richardson said.  “Korchinski, Kaiser or Artyom coming up, all these young guys, it’s great to have veteran guys that they can have communication with and help them establish their positioning even quicker in this league.”

If his numbers are strong again, it’ll go beyond helping just the young blue line corps. It’ll beef up the win column, something the Blackhawks desperately need after a tough couple of seasons.

Signing Laurent Brossoit might have been in between a bunch of other signings league wide and in Chicago. But it may very well be one of Davidson’s best this offseason if Brossoit repeats last year’s impressive performance.

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