The Chicago Blackhawks have Spencer Knight set to be their starter for 2025-26 and beyond. He may end up being the goaltender of the future that they've been looking for.
However, he needs a backup who can play a fair number of games. During the 2024-25 season, Arvid Soderblom proved that he can be a great goalie in the NHL.
Soderblom went 10-18-7 on a bad team with a 3.13 goals against average and a .898 save percentage. A few rough games down the stretch tanked numbers for what would have been a solid season. There were times he was a backup and times he was a starter.
On Saturday, it came out that Soderblom is one of 11 NHL players who elected for salary arbitration. He is a restricted free agent heading into the off-season.
The deadline for each club is Sunday evening. It is hard to place a value on Soderblom because he is a backup goalie, albeit a reliable one. It is up to Kyle Davidson to either, one way or another, get him locked up at a fair price or go out and find a replacement backup. The latter might be easier said than done.
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