Chicago Blackhawks News: Backup goalie Laurent Brossoit has surgery, out 5-7 weeks

The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping Laurent Brossoit will be an upgrade as the backup goalie over Arvid Soderblom.

The team will not be able to see him being better than Soderblom during most of training camp and the preseason games.

Brossoit will be out five to seven weeks after having surgery on his meniscus.

If Brossoit is out for the longest estimated period, then it looks Soderblom will have a shot to make the NHL roster.

Brossoit was one of the better backup netminders in the NHL last season while Soderblom was one of the worst.

He had 15 wins last season for the Winnipeg Jets with a two-goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in 23 games. He had 13.1 goals saved above expected which ranked him 10th in the league overall.

Soderblom was expected to take the reins as the No. 1 goalie last season. Instead, he was so bad that before Brossoit's surgery, Arvid was looking like he would not have a chance to make the opening night roster.

Soderblom finished with just five wins last season in 32 games along with a 3.92 GAA and a .879 save percentage. He had -18.2 saves above expected which ranked him dead last in the league. That means he made 18 fewer saves than what the average goalie would have made in the NHL.

Soderblom's play went so poorly last season that you wonder if Brossoit is not ready to go by the time the season starts, will the Hawks tap top goalie prospect Drew Commesso to start October 12th against the Edmonton Oilers?

However, that would be an extreme position to take considering Commesso just completed his first season in the AHL. That would be a tall ask to have him make his NHL debut against one of the best teams in the league with one of the best offensive attacks in the game.

That Oilers game is when the Hawks will probably need their backup goaltender as it will be the second game of a back-to-back. If Brossoit is not ready, the Hawks could realistically ask Petr Mrazek to start three straight games. He normally is not effective in the final game of a three-straight starting streak.

The hope is Brossoit is only out for the minimum five weeks and is ready to go. The Blackhawks are going to need him as despite playing over 50 games last season, Mrazek still has had his history of injured reserve stops.