4 Big Questions for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020-21

1. Who becomes the starting goaltender for the Blackhawks?

Going back to the point I established earlier, the Chicago Blackhawks clearly lack experience in the goaltending department.

Malcolm Subban presumably will start the season in net, but he has struggled at the NHL level so far. In his 66 games played, he only has a SV% of .899 and a GAA of 2.97. Both of these numbers raise some question marks as to how long of a leash will Subban receive after signing that two-year extension this offseason.

The second option in the crease for Chicago is Collin Delia. Delia only has had one prior stint in the NHL, and that came almost two seasons ago. In the 16 games played, he posted a SV% of .908 and a GAA of 3.61. That GAA is very concerning, especially when you factor in the Blackhawks allowed a league-high 2,458 shots on goal last season.

One good thing for Delia is the fact that he has developed a bit with the Rockford Ice Hogs in the past couple of seasons. He was an AHL All-Star game selection in the 2018-19 season and had another decent year in 2019-20, posting a 2.66 GAA and a SV% of .912 for Rockford.

The last, but least likely option for the starting Blackhawks goaltender job would be Kevin Lankinen. Lankinen currently has never played a game in the NHL, but he also was an AHL All-Star Game Selection in 2019-20. While his numbers were somewhat similar to Delia’s (3.03 GAA, .909 SV%), Lankinen proved that he could be in the mix for the position as well. He is only 25 years old, which is one year younger than Delia and two years younger than Subban.

Do one of the goaltenders win the job outright, or do the Hawks choose to roll with whoever has the hot hand?

Regardless of whom the Chicago Blackhawks decide to roll with, the goaltender battle will be one of the main things to keep an eye on in the upcoming season.