Blackhawks Goalie Tandem Has Elite Potential

The Chicago Blackhawks are a work in progress as their rebuild continues. Entering the third year of the Connor Bedard era, the Hawks are not ready to contend for a championship, but they are getting better. Slowly, but surely, they are crawling back into NHL relevancy.

The Blackhawks made another step toward that goal with their latest contract. The organization and goalie Arvid Soderblom avoided arbitration and agreed to a new deal. The two-year agreement will pay him an annual salary of $2.75 million. With this bit of business complete, the Blackhawks' goaltending tandem is locked in. It also has the potential to be one of the elite duos in the NHL this upcoming season.

The excitement over goaltending in Chicago is well deserved. Soderblom will serve as the backup and relief to incumbent starter Spencer Knight. The pair played about half a season together in what was already a lost campaign for Chicago.

Heading into the 2025-2026 season, several indicators suggest that the Blackhawks' goaltending will reach the next level. The first and most important is their effectiveness in high-danger areas. During the 2024-2025 campaign, both Knight and Soderblom were top-30 goaltenders when it came to high-danger save percentage.

Knight stopped just over 79% of the unblocked, high-danger shots on goal. Soderblom performed a hair better, stopping just over 80% of the unblocked, high-danger shots on goal against him. According to MoneyPuck's season data, the expected save percentage for the shots Soderblom faced was just under 69%—that 11.8% difference was a better margin than the ones posted by top goalies like Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers.

Something else that stuck out last season was how poor of a shot blocking team Chicago was. In addition to play loose structural defense, they also were mediocre at getting in front of shooting lanes. The data backs this claim up as well. Knight had just 19% of all shot attempts blocked, while Soderblom had just a bit over 20%. Those two figures ranked 64th and 65th among all NHL goalies with at least 15 games played last season.

What this means is that the Blackhawks goalies have had to make due with less. If the defense in front can insulate them just a bit better, it could make the difference between being one of the easiest teams to play against and one of the most difficult.

Another strong indication is the age of these two netminders. Knight is still reaching his top form. The 24-year-old puck-stopper has 95 career starts and has lots to prove as a starting goalie. Similarly, Soderblom is 25 with 86 career starts, and many believe he can be a number one goalie in the right scenario. With both players trying to establish themselves as a premier player at their position, that competition could lead to team success for the Blackhawks.

That's the hope, at least. While the Blackhawks try to re-enter the playoff picture, there are a few certainties. What they will be forced to rely on is their strongest position: goaltending. If it lives up to the expectations, they could easily become an elite tandem in the NHL.