Blackhawks Showing You Can Never Have Too Much Goaltending

When Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson met the media after an inactive day on July 1, he snuck in a surprising detail. When talking about what’s left to do this offseason, he mentioned adding another goaltender. Out of context, that is a very confusing statement since the Blackhawks have three goaltenders at the NHL level. However, he was referring to adding another netminder to play in Rockford, which gives you insight into what he’d like to do with the three he has in Chicago.

Spencer Knight and Laurent Brossoit are under contract for next season, and Arvid Soderblom has been extended a qualifying offer. The crowded crease is not a bad thing, and things will likely sort themselves out before the puck drops on the regular season in October.

Spencer Knight, the No. 1 Guy

Goaltenders are rarely taken in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft, but the Florida Panthers used the 13^th overall pick in 2019 to add Knight. He continued his stellar play at the World Junior Championship, at Boston College, and in the American Hockey League. He spent his entire NHL time in Florida waiting for his chance, but playing behind Sergei Bobrovsky didn’t give him many chances to take the reins.

The Blackhawks fanbase got a boost of energy when Knight was acquired from the Panthers for defenseman Seth Jones and a first-round pick. Part of that was moving on from Jones, but getting back an important piece that can help the Blackhawks win games right away was exciting. There was a buzz in the air at the United Center when he made his debut on March 3. He then lived up to the hype by making 41 saves in a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Knight could have easily pouted when arriving in Chicago. It can’t be easy, especially for a young player, to leave the best team in the league and join a team that is seemingly light years away from competing. However, he brought insightful enthusiasm to the locker room, looking to share his knowledge of what a winning culture looks like to help this team build one of their own.

The 24-year-old netminder had some ups and downs and will likely have a few more this season. This will be his first year as a starter in the NHL, and he is playing behind a team not nearly as sound defensively as the Panthers. Blackhawks fans should be excited to see what a full season working with goaltending coach Jimmy Waite can do for Knight.

“I feel very confident and happy with our goaltending situation right now,” Davidson said. “Obviously, Spencer coming in and continuing to understand our system, and under a new coaching staff, some new defensive systems that he’ll be playing within. So I think that’ll be great for him to continue to get comfortable here.”

Knight is eligible for a contract extension, but he might be waiting to see how his season goes before signing a new deal in Chicago. A huge year would go a long way in adding to the size of his next contract.

Laurent Brossoit, the True Wild Card

Let’s rewind to one year ago, shall we? Soderblom was coming off a horrendous season, during which his future with the organization was in question. Davidson signed Brossoit to a two-year contract to work in tandem with Petr Mrazek as the organization waits for Drew Commesso to develop. Soderblom was going to be buried in Rockford and likely would never be heard of again.

None of that happened. Brossoit never suited up for the Blackhawks as a pair of knee surgeries cost him the entire season. Soderblom was back in Chicago and rebounded with a nice season. He still finished with a save percentage under .900, but he was far better in the crease than what we saw the year before. He will receive a pay increase with his next contract, which will probably be a two-year deal somewhere in the $4 million range.

So, what happens to Brossoit? Davidson saying he wants to add a goaltender in Rockford suggests that neither Brossoit nor Soderblom is an option to be sent down to the AHL. In a perfect world, Brossoit would be healthy for the start of training camp. There is nothing wrong with having competition at the position. If he proves he’s ready to play again, he would be a nice trade chip heading into opening night.

The goaltending market is very weak this summer, and multiple teams would be excited to add a healthy Brossoit to their roster. It’s so bad that agent Allan Walsh recently revealed five teams have reached out to see if his client, Marc-Andre Fleury, would consider coming out of retirement. You can bet that if and when Brossoit returns to the ice this offseason, that video will surface in an instant.

More Goaltending Still Coming

It’s crazy to think that if Brossoit is moved, Soderblom will be the oldest goaltender in the Blackhawks system. Commesso is coming off an excellent finish to his 2024-25 season. Some felt that the acquisition of Knight signaled that the Blackhawks weren’t high on the 2020 second-round pick anymore. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Commesso was one of the best goaltenders in the AHL after returning from an ankle injury in mid-January. He is still every bit a part of this team’s future and will be the top netminder for the IceHogs this season.

“Drew’s done enough and has enough body of work that we can trust him to carry the mail down there and really take the net and run with it and take on a really good workload to further his development,” Davidson said.

When you look beyond Commesso, the Blackhawks still have 2023 second-round pick Adam Gajan developing. His first season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth didn’t produce great overall numbers. However, like Commesso, he finished strong after dealing with injuries early in the season. The organization is looking for a bounce-back in his sophomore season.

The Blackhawks are proving that you can never have too much goaltending. It’s usually the last piece of the puzzle in a rebuild, so having four solid young netminders in the mix is an advantage. Hopefully, the Blackhawks will never be a team like the Edmonton Oilers, who seem unable to resolve their goaltending issues. There is no guarantee that any of these players will become the goaltender of the future, but the organizational depth has improved significantly since Davidson took over.