5 goaltenders who could replace Arvid Soderblom next season

There is no way the Chicago Blackhawks should stick with Arvid Soderblom, even as a 1B or No. 2 goaltender. He’s been beyond disappointing, and nobody will blame general manager Kyle Davidson if he decides to move Soderblom sometime during the summer, even for under-the-radar compensation. 

Even if it’s for a couple of B-prospects, a late-round pick for the following season, or even future considerations, the Arvid Soderblom experiment needs to end, and the best way to end it is to give the much-maligned goaltender a fresh start with another organization. But there is no way Davidson can justify Soderblom continuing his career in the system after what we have seen in 2023-24, even with the current state of the Blackhawks. 

But just because the Soderblom experiment failed in Chicago, it doesn’t mean another organization wouldn’t be interested in acquiring him this summer. Soderblom is still just 24, and at worst, he provides good organizational depth. 

Plenty of goaltenders will be available who can replace Arvid Soderblom

Soderblom was stellar in 2021-22 for the Rockford IceHogs, and he also didn’t look too bad with them last season. So a franchise looking for a No. 1 goaltender for their AHL affiliate could put someone like Soderblom high on their priority list, as could an organization that believes he would make a good future No. 2 netminder in their lineup.

If there are no takers, the Blackhawks could just elect to assign Soderblom to Rockford full-time next season while promoting an up-and-coming goaltender or finding someone adequate in free agency to replace the 24-year-old. There are also a few players the Blackhawks could acquire via trade if they weren’t interested in promoting someone within the organization or signing a free agent. 

Five names, one in-house, two relatively young unrestricted free agents, plus a couple of legitimate trade candidates, jump out. And the Blackhawks could bring them in instead of struggling through another season with Soderblom.