Have the Blackhawks found the secret ingredients to success? Last season, Blackhawks fans were ecstatic at the arrival of superstar-in-the-making Connor Bedard. But let's not kid ourselves; the 2023-24 season was nothing more than a battle to not finish in the Western Conference cellar and the Second City hockey franchise almost lost that struggle despite the presence of Bedard.
Fast-forward to a new season and the same problems still plague this historic hockey franchise. Despite the Bedard hype (and yes, he has been a blessing to this organization and will the anchor in Chicago for years to come) the Blackhawks are still sitting on a dismal 20-35-8 overall record and all but eliminated from playoff contention long before April arrives.
Despite the gloom-and-doom overall record, there are strong glimmers of light shining brightly above the United Center in Chicago. The Blackhawks have mustered a 4-4-2 record in the last ten games and won their last two games including a dramatic 4-3 overtime win versus the Utah Hockey Club at home.
In addition, the arrival of netminder Spencer Knight from the Florida Panthers seems to be a harbinger of future success for Chicago and things just may be finally turning around for this organization as they try and climb out of the cellar in the Central Division.
Knight came over in the Seth Jones trade last week and brings a 14-8-1 record with a 2.36 goals against average and a solid .913 save percentage to the Blackhawks who are truly desperate for consistent protection between the pipes. More importantly, Knight in 2-0 in his starts with his new team and if nothing else, he brings a breath of fresh air and hope into a downtrodden franchise mired in years of rebuilding.
Who will back up Spencer Knight now that he's the heir apparent to defend the Blackhawks' net?
The question of whether or not Spencer Knight is the new starting goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks seems to already found its own answer with Knight posting a 2-0 record this week with his new club. With a $4.5 million dollar salary cap, the 23-year-old Knight appears to be the goalie now and for the perceivable future for the Blackhawks.
Despite his 8-15-6 record, Arvid Soderblom seems to be solidifying his backup status with the Blackhawks behind Spencer Knight and these two young netminders may yet make a great goalie tandem in Chicago. Knight is only 23 years old and Soderblom is 25 years old which means these two netminders could potentially work together for a number of years helping the Blackhawks become playoff contenders in future seasons.
Mrazek is now gone and Brossoit is a big question mark for the Blackhawks.
There is little question that the Spencer Knight trade will continue to pay dividends well into the future for the Blackhawks. If Arvid Soderblom can develop and become more consistent, he'll lock up his backup status in Chicago as well. In addition, the trade deadline move of goalie Petr Mrazek to the Detroit Red Wings clears up any question as to the netminder pecking order in Chicago at this point in the last days of the 2024-25 season.
Mrazek's departure and the questionable long-term health status of erstwhile backup goalie Laurent Brossoit points to the Knight-Soderblom team as the goalie duo moving forward for the Blackhawks. Brossoit hasn't played a single game this season and may soon find himself on the trading block as early as this coming summer.
As the goaltending roster becomes clearer for the Blackhawks, so to does their potential pathway for future. With future superstars such as Connor Bedard leading the way and Spencer Knight being the perceived everyday netminder, Chicago may be able to forge ahead and think about winning days come next season.