Spencer Knight's demeanor perfect for a season full of lessons

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson made a really good hockey trade at the 2025 deadline when he moved disgruntled defenseman Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers for goaltender Spencer Knight and a first-round draft pick. Both sides got exactly what they were looking for. Jones was a key part of the Panthers’ defense on their way to a second straight Stanley Cup, while the Blackhawks got their starting goaltender for years to come and another draft asset.

Knight got his first full season as a No. 1 goaltender in the NHL. He fell in line with the rest of his teammates with some good and some bad, but learned necessary lessons along the way.

“I thought it was a good season,” Knight said. “Obviously, the trade deadline happens, and we lose key pieces. That’s hard. I think, overall, it was a good year playing more games. I felt good. I felt like I could have played more, and I’m going to have to play more at some point, right? If you play 50-60 in the regular season, you’ll play 70-80 in the playoffs, which we want to do.”

Season Review

After losing his first two starts, Knight won four out of his next five starts, including three in a row. He only allowed more than three goals four times in his first 25 starts. He recorded the first of three shutouts against the Calgary Flames on Nov. 7. He went 6-2-1 in his nine starts, allowing one or fewer goals.

In his first season as the Blackhawks' starter, he set career highs in starts (55), quality starts (28), and shutouts, while tying his career high of 19 wins.

“I thought my game felt good, just grew,” Knight said. “Keep learning how to make better reads. Been in all different situations, different kinds of games, and pressure – playing from behind, playing with the lead. Those are factors in the reads you make and how you react.”

Knight is the perfect goaltender for this part of the rebuild. Not only does his talent keep the Blackhawks in the game on most nights, but his demeanor helps on the tough nights. He keeps his emotions in check and doesn’t let a bad goal let him spiral. That calmness in the crease is passed on to the team in front of him, building trust between the goaltender and skaters.

“He’s very calm and pretty level-headed,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “Not easy-going; very competitive and serious, but level-headed. That’s really important. Any time you have the emotional ups and downs and highs and lows that you have with a young team and a young defensive corps, as a goaltender, being able to stay calm in the face of adversity is really important. He’s consistently done that – never getting too emotionally high or low. He’s never let frustration become a big piece of what he’s about. He’s got a really great attitude about learning from the game before and moving on.”

Analysis & Final Grade

Season Stats

Record: 19-25-11
Starts: 55
Games played: 55
GAA: 2.82
SV%: .902
Shutouts: 3
Quality starts: 28
Quality start %: .509
Goals saved above average: 10.4
Expected goals against: 178.18
Goals against: 155
High-danger SV%: .852

Knight was under fire for most of the season. He faced the fourth-most shots of all NHL goaltenders, with the three ahead of him all having at least three more starts. Only Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders faced more high-danger shots than Knight. His 852 HDSV% was third among goalies with at least 35 starts. Knight tapered off a bit down the stretch, but that’s understandable, playing more games than he ever had before in the compressed Olympic schedule. He showed that he plays great under pressure, and when the overall team’s defense improves, he won’t have to do as much as he did this past season. He gets a B+.

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