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Chicago Blackhawks Sign Adam Gajan

Originally posted on Inside The Rink | By Zach Jarom | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 11:40 PM ET

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced the signing of goaltender Adam Gajan. The 21-year-old was the 35^th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Level Draft. His contract kicks in next season and is for two years, carrying a $1,050,000 salary cap hit.

This Past Season

Gajan had a fantastic sophomore season at Minnesota-Duluth after an injury-filled freshman year. In 33 games, he put up a 19-13-1 record. On top of that, he also finished with a 2.22 GAA and a .908 Save Percentage and two shutouts. His collegiate career came to an end with a second-round loss to the University of Michigan. To top off a great year, he was a part of the US College Selects team in the Spengler Cup and was the third goalie for the Slovakia Olympic Hockey Team.

What Does This Mean For Next Year

This was an interesting signing and one I wasn’t expecting until next spring. The Blackhawks are creating a bit of a logjam in net. Spencer Knight is obviously the guy, but the biggest question is who will back him up? Signing Gajan means that Drew Commesso is ready to make the jump and back up Knight in Chicago. He played very well in the couple of appearances he had this season. However, with Arvid Soderblom still signed for another season, how will this goalie depth chart look? If you can move on from Soderblom, giving the Ice Hogs net to Gajan and Stanislav Berezhnoy is what’s best for development.

This continues to be exciting times in Chicago as more of the pieces that could play a factor for this team long term are making the jump. A glimpse of the future isn’t as far off as we expected.

This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.

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