Blackhawks fans will enjoy more stability in the net with Laurent Brossoit coming to town

Alright, the Arvid Soderblom experiment should be over now, as Laurent Brossoit is reportedly heading to the Chicago Blackhawks, guaranteeing the team far more stability in the net this season. And if you remember correctly, Brossoit was one goaltender I was hoping to see the Blackhawks target, something I wrote about all the way back in March. 

What makes Brossoit such an intriguing add is the fact that he’s put up some monster numbers throughout most of his career, and he’ll come to the Blackhawks as a major upgrade over the ineffective Soderblom. 

Sure, it’s fair to point out that Brossoit played for a pair of powerhouse teams recently, having spent the last six seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets, so we shouldn’t expect miracles here. And yeah, adding Tyler Bertuzzi, Patrick Maroon, and Teuvo Teravainen will help the netminders, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves - this team still needs to compete with the Jets, the Colorado Avalanche, the Dallas Stars, and you can even throw Utah in there, thanks to the moves they recently made.

Let’s check out the Pacific Division, where the Edmonton Oilers are going nowhere, nor are the Vancouver Canucks, and the Golden Knights will again be tough to beat. Meanwhile, in Chicago, this intriguing group could still use time to mesh, so again, Brossoit won’t be a miracle worker. 

Laurent Brossoit was a good add for the Blackhawks, but let’s be realistic

Over the past two seasons, Laurent Brossoit has played behind some of the NHL’s best, meaning he hasn’t had to do much, seeing the crease just 34 times and making 32 starts. He logged a 0.719 quality starts percentage, a 0.927 save percentage, and a 2.07 GAA, but since the Hawks aren’t the Jets or the 2022-23 Golden Knights, look for Brossoit to look more like his 2021-22 self. 

That year, he made 21 starts in 24 appearances, posting just a 0.476 quality starts percentage, an 0.895 save percentage, and a 2.90 GAA. No, these numbers aren’t great, but compared to what we saw with Arvid Soderblom last season, they’re night and day, and there isn’t a single Blackhawk fan out there who won’t take them. 

So no, Brossoit won’t play the way he did in 2022-23 or in 2023-24, but for the Blackhawks to be a better team than they were last season, he doesn’t need to. Instead, look for him to put up average to above-average numbers and be a sound backup/No. 2 goaltender this team needs. 

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