Can the Chicago Blackhawks survive with goalie Petr Mrazek on IR?

The Chicago Blackhawks placed Petr Mrazek on injured reserve. Thankfully, it does not appear it will be a long stay.

Mrazek being out for only one to two weeks is the best news the team could get after he left yesterday's loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

The kicker is the Hawks play seven games while he is expected to be out. That means rookie Drew Commesso, who was recalled to take his place, will likely make his NHL debut.

At least Arvid Soderblom is playing well enough to keep the Hawks in games while Mrazek is out.

That is huge because if he was playing like he did last season, the Blackhawks would be in serious trouble.

Soderblom was arguably the worst netminder in the NHL last season. He was so poor that he was likely destined to play in Rockford all season. His NHL career got a second life when his replacement, Laurent Brossiot, required offseason knee surgery.

Soderblom is still here because Brossoit needed another procedure on his knee that will keep him out through the rest of 2024.

Soderblom getting more playing time is going to make it harder to keep him in the organization once Brossoit returns.

With Mrazek being out, Arvid will pass the games played threshold that will require him to go through waivers once Brossoit returns from injured reserve. It is unlikely he goes through waivers without being claimed.

Right now, that should be the furthest thing from any Hawks' minds.

They need Soderbloom to continue to play well in goal as solid goaltending is what has been giving the Blackhawks a shot to stay in games.

The Hawks are still the worst team in the NHL, but at least they are not getting blown out on most nights, unlike last season.

However, the Blackhawks looked like the same team that got Luke Richardson fired as head coach in their 4-2 defeat to the Jets.

One problem the Blackhawks are going to encounter is they will have to rely on Commesso at some point while Mrazek is out.

There should be enough off days this week where Commesso does not have to get a start in goal. However, he might have to be called upon this weekend as the Hawks play a road/home back-to-back.

You could be looking at Commesso getting his first career start next Sunday when the Hawks host the New York Islanders. The hope was that Commesso would get another full season in Rockford, but the depth is no longer there with Mrazek and Brossoit on IR and he will likely be pressed into service.

This might not be the ideal time for Drew to get his first NHL start since he has a .879 save percentage and a 3.34 goals-against average in Rockford.

He has given up 16 goals in his past five starts. He did give up one goal in one of those starts, but five in another.

However, it cannot hurt to get a peak into where Commesso is at during this point of his development.

Plus, it is a risk-free check as nothing is expected out of the Blackhawks anymore as this season is lost.