Over the past few years, for the most part, the moves made by Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson in free agency have paid off. Guys like Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, and Ilya Mikheyev have been consistent producers on the offensive end, with Matt Grzelcyk turning in excellent performances defensively on a nightly basis.
But one move that hasn’t paid off was made in the summer of 2024. Struggling with inconsistent goaltending and an uncertain outlook, Chicago signed goaltender Laurent Brossoit to a two-year, $6.6 million contract. Now 32 years old, Brossoit looked to be the perfect signing, having backed up Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg the season before and putting up a .927 save percentage and 2.00 GAA.
Unfortunately, that move hasn’t paid off. The goaltender still has yet to suit up for a game in Chicago. The Blackhawks were believed to be aware of a knee injury when they signed him, but may not have expected him to have to undergo season-ending knee surgery just one month later in August 2024. This September, the veteran netminder had offseason hip surgery, hitting season-opening injured reserve for an extended absence. Many Blackhawks fans have become familiar with the situation, even poking a bit of fun at Brossoit’s extended absence since he’s rarely seen on the ice or off it in Chicago. With his contract expiring this summer, it wouldn’t be a shock for Brossoit to never don a Blackhawks sweater in a game—one of the weirder stints out there.
On Monday, though, that narrative got a bit more interesting. For one of the first times under his current contract, Brossoit was spotted on the ice at Fifth Third Arena.
After practice, head coach Jeff Blashill said Brossoit is ramping up with plans to eventually rejoin Blackhawks practice in full. Assuming his recovery from hip surgery keeps progressing smoothly, we’d likely see him sent to the AHL for a conditioning stint before the team has a decision on its hands.
But what then? The Blackhawks have been excellent in net so far, ranking second in team save percentage and fourth in goals allowed per game. Spencer Knight is completely untouchable at this point, as he has a .924 save percentage at just 24 years old. Arvid Soderblom has been solid as well, boasting a .913 mark of his own. The team can’t carry three goaltenders.
It seems the most likely scenario at this point would be for Brossoit to get traded to a team in desperate need of goaltending, like the Oilers or Maple Leafs. That’s a tricky situation—he still carries a $3.3 million cap hit, so the Blackhawks would have to retain half his salary to make it work (which isn’t an issue, they have $18.6 million in space anyway). The other question is what Chicago could trade him for. As a team surprisingly pushing for the playoffs, they don’t need any more draft picks—the cupboard is already stocked and overflowing.
Or, hear me out… If Brossoit becomes fully healthy and the Blackhawks trust him to complete the season, it could be more beneficial to deal Soderblom. Brossoit is more valuable to Chicago than any other team as they know the status of his health, and a netminder that has been on the shelf for two years is a tough sell on the trade market. The Blackhawks could resign Brossoit for next to nothing, or let him walk and turn to Drew Commesso, who has been biding his time in Rockford for two seasons and boasts a .921 save percentage with the IceHogs this year. That option would be a bit risky, leaving the Blackhawks pretty unprotected if one of Knight or Commesso was to suffer an injury.
Either way, Brossoit returning to the ice is great news for Chicago. If the Blackhawks can get any sort of value for him before the trade deadline, great. If not, they can always hang on to him and figure the rest out later. Having three viable goaltenders on one franchise is never a bad problem to have.
