What the Chicago Blackhawks' goalie situation currently looks like for next season

Spencer Knight wants to be the man in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks next season. The hope is he takes that step next season.

Otherwise, the Seth Jones trade no longer looks mutually beneficial.

One reason the Florida Panthers do not need to thank the Blackhawks for trading the overpaid defensemen to the Stanley Cup champs is that the Hawks made out all right in their end of the deal by getting Knight and a first-round pick.

At the time, the Blackhawks needed a No. 1 goalie for the future and the present after Petr Mrazek struggled at the NHL level and Drew Commesso was inconsistent at the AHL level. It is fine that Jones helped the Panthers win another Stanley Cup because the Hawks acquired a solution to solve a massive problem while getting a pouting, overpaid defenseman off the roster.

Knight did have a rough end to the 2024-25 season with a .893 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average in 15 games played for the Blackhawks. If those shaky numbers happen next season, then the Hawks coming out as a benefactor is no longer the case.

However, he still finished with 6.9 saves above expected on the season. For context, Mrazek finished with -14. Mrazek was not even close to making saves an average goalie would make, while Knight provided a positive boost in net once the Hawks acquired him.

Also, he was playing behind a very young blue line once the team committed to a youth movement at defense.

While the defensive unit will be young again, the hope is Knight and those youthful defenders get better as the season moves along.

Questions remain as to who will be the No. 2 goalie

Arvid Soderblom's NHL career got a new lease on life when free agent addition Laurent Brossoit was lost for the season after needing two knee surgeries.

He took advantage of not being exiled to Rockford like what was originally planned.

He looked nothing like the awful goalie in the 2023-24 season by posting a 3.18 GAA and a .898 save percentage. He was also one save above expected. Considering he finished dead last in 2023-24, with a -18.2 in that category, Soderblom made a significant improvement.

He is set for restricted free agency. Reports indicate the team will extend him a qualifying offer. However, Brossoit is still under contract and supposedly still exists. The two surgeries kept him away from the team to the point that it felt like he was a myth.

If he is healthy, Brossoit was one of the better backup netminders in the NHL when he was with Winnipeg. It means one of these two likely gets traded. Although the Hawks might have to carry Brossoit and Soderblom into training camp to prove Brossoit has recovered enough to be able to play in actual NHL games.

Then there is Commesso, who still has promise. He started two games last season and showed the moment was not too big for him by saving 22 or 26 shots. However, he was still inconsistent in Rockford, where it is clear he needs another season in the AHL before he can be considered as the No. 2 goalie, or someone to push Knight in case he falters.

Either way, the Hawks seem solid in net, so do not expect the front office to add another netminder like they had to last offseason.