KANATA, Ontario — Spencer Knight continues to give the Blackhawks strong goaltending, even during their recent struggles without Connor Bedard. He has established himself as a No. 1 goalie in the NHL.
Beneath Knight, however, the goaltending depth chart is getting more complicated.
Laurent Brossoit’s return to health, combined with the Hawks’ inability so far to find a new home for him due to his sizable $3.3 million salary-cap hit, is the biggest X-factor.
The 32-year-old just cleared waivers and was sent back down to Rockford, where he recently went 2-1-0 with a .900 save percentage (and one goalie goal) during a two-week AHL conditioning stint.
Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson, during a wide-ranging conversation Friday with the Sun-Times, explained where things stand with Brossoit and related trade discussions.
“He understands he needs to continue to play and show that he’s durable — we believe there’s no issues there,” Davidson said. “Then there’s got to be an [NHL] opportunity. And there’s also things like the money aspect — that has to fit. There’s a bunch of different factors that go into this.
“He’s been a true pro, great guy and great teammate, both in Rockford and in Chicago. We’ve tried to be reciprocal with that respect and keep him up to date with everything. … [He’s] depth for us until something comes up that makes sense outside of the organization.”
Some fans have questioned why Brossoit isn’t receiving an opportunity with the Hawks, considering his results in his last two healthy NHL seasons were impressive: he posted .927 save percentages in both.
Current Hawks backup Arvid Soderblom, who just received a two-year contract extension last summer, has never exactly been a fan favorite, and his recent struggles have generated more ire.
Soderblom, 26, has allowed 23 goals over his last four starts, dropping his season save percentage down to .876 and his career mark to .888. His GSAA has fallen to minus-7.0, per Natural Stat Trick, which contrasts starkly to Knight’s plus-11.1 (third-best in the league).
However, the Hawks remain committed to Soderblom, with Davidson pointing out the team has played poorly in front of him lately. It’s true that minimal goal support has been a common theme throughout his Hawks tenure.
“We know Arvid is a really good goalie,” Davidson said. “He has shown that over a period of time. There’s no real discussion at this point to making any change. We just have to be a little more consistent in front of him.”
That leaves the Hawks with a goalie surplus in Rockford, where the Hawks want to give Brossoit opportunities but not disrupt incumbent Drew Commesso’s momentum. They’ll likely split two games this weekend against Manitoba, the Jets’ affiliate.
Commesso, 23, boasts a .913 save percentage through his first 16 AHL appearances this season, improving upon .911 and .906 marks from his first two. He said during training camp he believes he’s NHL-ready, but the Hawks are asking him to stay patient for now. It’s worth noting his entry-level contract expires after this season.
“Drew has established himself as a frontline starter in the AHL and a top prospect around the league,” Davidson said. “We want to make sure we keep him progressing in a positive way, too, because we do believe very strongly in what he’s done.”
That leaves rookie Stanislav Berezhnoy, who has posted an .896 save percentage in first seven AHL games since jumping over from Russia as an undrafted free agent last summer, as temporarily the odd-man out.
Davidson suggested that Berezhnoy, 22, might spend time with the Indy Fuel after the Christmas break. Indy is the Hawks’ ECHL affiliate — the hockey equivalent of double-A baseball. Although it’s unusual for NHL-relevant forward or defensive prospects to end up there, it’s less rare for goalies.