While the Blackhawks have been a pleasant surprise so far this season, one spot that still raises question marks is between the pipes. Where is Laurent Brossoit? When he was made one of the most notable signings of the summer for Chicago, Brossoit was expected to step in and be a dominant backup goaltender. At the end of August, however, it was announced that he would undergo knee surgery that would knock him out until around the beginning of the season.
Since the season started, however, Brossoit has gone missing. It’s been a month since he was expected to return. There’s talk that he’ll return sometime soon, but his timeline keeps getting pushed back.
What happens when Brossoit does come back? In his absence, starter Petr Mrazek has taken on a very large workload. Perhaps more surprisingly, backup Arvid Soderblom has been nothing short of excellent. In three games, he has a save percentage of .927 while allowing just a bit over two goals per game.
Because of Soderblom’s excellence so far, Brossoit’s return could make things interesting. When the veteran goaltender finally gets healthy, his return could have big implications for the Blackhawks’ lineup and even open up trade possibilities.
There’s no question Brossoit will be put back into Chicago’s lineup when he returns, and he’ll probably excel there when he does. In each of the last two seasons, Brossoit has been dominant, with a .927 save percentage with the Golden Knights and Jets. He was brought in to practically compete with Mrazek for the starting spot, and he certainly has the talent to do so.
But where does that leave Soderblom? Rockford has already named Drew Commesso its starting goaltender, and he’s clearly the future between the pipes in Chicago. That would relegate Soderblom to a backup role. For a netminder who has dominated at the NHL level this season, that simply can’t happen.
If Soderblom is able to continue to prove himself tomorrow night, assuming he gets the start, the idea of a “new Soderblom” will be all the more realistic. If that’s the case, we could see the room get shaken up around the trade deadline. Assuming Brossoit returns, then continues to be a brick wall like he was the last few years, it wouldn’t be a shock for the Blackhawks to trade him at the deadline to a contender who is a goalie away. Then, they could bring Soderblom back up and roll with Mrazek and Soderblom the rest of the way.
Next year, we could see that same combination. With Mrazek in the last season of his contract, the two would finish that season out with Commesso waiting in the wings in the case of an injury or if either takes a step back. Thus, the long-term plan in net would still be in place, with the Blackhawks’ future looking bright.
