The Chicago Blackhawks are pretty well off in net in terms of young talent on the team and in the organization. This includes Spencer Knight, who is impressing this season, Arvid Soderblom, Drew Commesso and Stanislav Berezhnoy in the AHL, and Adam Gajan, a former second round pick.
While Knight appears to have the role of starter locked down for the foreseeable future, the future backup and competition for the starter's net down the line remains a question mark. Soderblom has the backup role right now, but how long is that going to last with Commesso breathing down his neck and more goalies in the pipeline who could turn out to be better?
Gajan had a rough first season in college and his stock really fell. He was considered a top-10 prospect of the Blackhawks before everything went wrong for him. Fortunately for him and Chicago, that is in the past.
Gajan, playing for the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is 7-1-0 on the season with a 1.25 GAA, .938 SV%, and two shutouts. The 21-year-old, drafted 35th overall in 2023, will play out a few seasons in college before turning pro, so the Blackhawks don't have to worry about pushing anyone else out just yet, but it might be coming.
If Gajan continues the way he's playing, there shouldn't be any worry from the Blackhawks that they will have a future NHL netminder working his way up the depth chart. Eventually, this will lead to some other decisions for goalies in the organization, but it's much better to have too many good options than not enough. This will prove very good for a young team that is growing and looking to compete in the near future.
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