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. 

Jaxson Stauber will get his chance if he finishes the season strong

Jaxson Stauber would be the first name on this list because he’s likely the popular choice among Blackhawks fans. Stauber’s numbers haven’t been all-world with the Rockford IceHogs, but he’s shown vast improvement from 2022-23 to 2023-24, and you can expect those numbers to again trend north in 2024-25.

Last season saw Stauber clock in a 3.32 GAA and an 0.894 save percentage to go with a below-average 6-8-0 record. While his save percentage this year is only a slightly better 0.896, Stauber also has a much-improved 3.05 GAA. 

It’s also worth mentioning Stauber’s small but encouraging sample size with the Blackhawks last season when he logged a 0.911 save percentage, a 2.81 GAA, five wins, and four quality starts in six appearances. While we shouldn’t expect Stauber to post identical numbers with Chicago next season should he be a replacement for Soderblom, the stats above show us he can handle the NHL.

Placing Stauber in Chicago as the 1B or No. 2 goaltender makes for an ideal situation in Chicago. He’s also had plenty of experience at various levels that include the USHL and the NCAA, and he excelled in each stop. 

But if the Blackhawks, for whatever reason, want Stauber in the AHL for another year, there are two younger free agents and potential trade pieces they can acquire. 

Ilya Samsonov is a better option than Soderblom at this point

A while back, I listed five low-cost goaltenders the Blackhawks could go after, and Ilya Samsonov was not among the unrestricted free agents mentioned. But if Davidson wanted to spend a little more money, Samsonov would be a great option, as the Toronto Maple Leafs will probably look to invest elsewhere. 

Samsonov is still young enough to fit in with a young team like Chicago, and while this season’s numbers were uninspiring, they also shouldn’t define him. His 19 wins are about the only positive, but he can thank Auston Matthews and an incredible Maple Leafs team for them. Besides that, Samsonov has an 0.889 save percentage, a 3.12 GAA, and an underwhelming 0.471 quality starts percentage. 

But let’s look at how well he fared last season, which should imply that Samsonov is just having a down year. In 2022-23, he finished with 27 wins, a 0.919 save percentage, a 2.33 GAA, four shutouts, and a 0.675 quality starts percentage. 

Should Samsonov walk in free agency and the Blackhawks were to sign him, it doesn’t mean he’s sticking around long-term. But remember, Petr Mrazek is only signed through 2025-26, so inking Samsonov to a three or four-year deal, for example, also wouldn’t be a bad idea, thanks to his age and potential. 

Kaapo Kahkonen is showing that he is better-than-advertised

Since his trade to the New Jersey Devils, Kaapo Kahkonen has turned his season around. We knew he’d be better with the Devils despite their struggles, but Kahkonen has a 0.934 save percentage, a shutout, and a 2.17 GAA in three starts with Jersey. No, it’s not a large sample size, but it’s also a good starting point, especially if he continues to play the way he has. 

There is also a chance he impresses the front office enough to stick around in Newark, but at the time of this writing, he is a pending unrestricted free agent and a younger one. Like Samsonov, Kahkonen would cost more than the cheaper goaltenders on a previous slideshow, but he’s more than worth taking a long look at should the Blackhawks want someone more experienced to split time with Mrazek. 

Also, like Samsonov, Kahkonen could make for a good combo with someone like Stauber or Commesso if Davidson wanted him in the Windy City and was willing to bring him in longer than one or two seasons. 

Someone like Kahkonen is also a resilient goaltender, something he had to be since he was playing in San Jose earlier this season. Patience will once again be required for all Blackhawks goaltenders, and Kahkonen would be quite familiar with the situation he’d be skating into. 

The Blue Jackets will listen to offers on Elvis Merzlikins 

When you look at Elvis Merzlikins’ numbers over the last two seasons, they are almost as cringe-worthy as Soderblom’s. An 0.889 save percentage and a 3.75 GAA are bad enough to turn away just about any general manager, and his age also wouldn’t be an ideal fit for the Blackhawks. 

Add in his $5.4 million AAV that includes a $6 million base salary next season in a contract that won’t expire until 2026-27, and you have a right to wonder why Merzlikins is even on this list. For starters, Columbus would be willing to give him away for little trade compensation, and it should surprise nobody that they, given their cap space, would be willing to retain half of the goaltender’s contract. 

This would make Merzlikins’ salary far more manageable for a team like Chicago, and like Ville Husso, the 29-year-old has enjoyed success in previous seasons. In 2019-20, Merzlikins finished fifth for the Calder, and he also placed fifth for the Vezina before he parlayed those numbers into another fine season in 2020-21. 

He hasn’t been the same goaltender since, but there was a time when Merzlikins was one of the hottest up-and-coming names in hockey. Merzlikins isn’t the first choice or anywhere near it, but he could be worth taking a flier on under the right circumstances. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Elite Prospects)