Chicago Blackhawks make goaltending decision due to unforeseen injury
The Chicago Blackhawks are an tough position, as they still have no new timetable on the return of goalie Laurent Brossoit.
While he's been on the road with the team, it looks like he'll remain out of the lineup indefinitely. This is not what Blackhawks fans want to hear, given their 5-9-1 record.
Brossoit's absence has given Arvid Soderblom a second chance to prove his abilities in the net this season.
As Ben Pope of the CST states "that might not be a bad thing". Which given his recent record of 4 games played, 1 win and a 2.27 GAA, and a .933 save percentage not a bad thing.
General manager Kyle Davidson asserted last weekend he's «not worried» about the long-term availability of Brossoit, who is on a two-year contract.
«Those kinds of injuries for a player versus a goalie, it's a bit different with a goalie,» Davidson said. «You're talking about a knee and up-down [movement] and contact. You just want to make sure it's good.»
We get to see the work in progress of Soderblom who spent last season working on his game with goalie coach Jimmy Waite, who has compared Soderblom to Corey Crawford.
«We just have to make sure we're careful. And that was the plan this year - to be careful and not bring him up too quick. We had some injuries, but still we don't want to push him too hard. But he keeps playing well, so we keep putting him in net. He deserves it, too.»
Could 2024-2025 we see Soderblom hit his true potential in the NHL? If he keeps it up, he would've more than earned his $962K AAV cap hit, and proved that Kyle Davidson was right to stay faithful to the Swedish goalie.
Hopefully, Brossoit returns to the ice soon, but if not Kyle Davidson is confident with what the Hawks have in the net now.
