Arvid Söderblom’s path to staying in Chicago’s crease is about to get a lot less comfortable.
For the past three seasons, Söderblom has held down the Blackhawks’ backup job behind Spencer Knight. But with the 2026-27 season approaching, that role is no longer sitting there untouched. Chicago has a goalie logjam developing behind Knight, and Söderblom is heading into the final year of his two-year contract extension with plenty to prove.
He earned his way here the hard way, climbing from undrafted free agent signing to the spot the Blackhawks have viewed as part of a 1A/1B setup with Knight. Now the challenge is less about getting in the door and more about making sure nobody pushes him back out.
Last season’s numbers didn’t help his case on the surface. Söderblom went 8-13-3 in 24 starts with a .880 save percentage and a 3.80 goals-against average. But head coach Jeff Blashill made clear in March that the story was more complicated than the raw line.
"The thing I'd like to look at, and I haven't totally dove into this yet, but is more of a game-by-game kind of thing. Like, sometimes for a goaltender, your numbers can get crushed on a few starts...
In his case, honestly, we had a couple really, really bad games where he was in the (net), and I think that kind of crushed his numbers. I left him in in Buffalo, you know, that doesn't help his numbers.
So I think there's a deeper look into the numbers. And I'm not going to sit here and say they're accurate or not accurate.
I'd want to dive deeper into it. Something I'll do after the year.
"But again... statistically speaking, you want the biggest sample size you can, and obviously when you play 25 games, it's not that big a sample size. If you take out maybe his best games and his worst games.
What does that look like? Numbers-wise, I don't know that answer.
I liked his game. I think he's done a good job. of... the job as a backup is very difficult.
You have to have a certain mental makeup for it. I've seen guys thrive in it, and I've seen guys not thrive in it.
And he's somebody that I know can thrive in that role.”
That’s the tightrope Söderblom has been walking. Some nights were rough.
Some nights the team in front of him didn’t do him any favors. But he still found some meaningful moments, including his first career shutout and his 100th career start.
After that shutout in April, Söderblom said the key was keeping things simple and staying within himself.
"I think I've just been playing my game and doing what I'm good at, just being calm in net and trying to hold on to as many pucks as possible, and, yeah, make those extra saves when needed, and just being a reliable goaltender that the team can rely on every night. So I think just playing my game. It's been working out good lately."
That confidence carried into the summer, too.
"I feel confident. I feel comfortable with my game.
I know what I'm able to do, and I know how good I am. And I feel like, yeah, going into the summer, I'm just gonna keep working on my game and trying to improve in all areas, and come back next year and be even better.
That's the mindset I have."
Blashill sounded just as comfortable with what he’s getting from Söderblom.
"I'm totally comfortable where his games at; comfortable that when we put him in in certain games, that I have belief that he's gonna give us a chance to win. Like everybody else, you know, some nights he's played better than other nights, but I would put a lot of it as you get a lot of tough starts when you're the backup, and when you're a backup of a team that's first in the league, it's easier on those tough starts.
When you're (backup) with a team who's climbing out of a rebuild like we are, that's way harder, and so it stresses them way more. So I've been around different teams and seen a lot of different guys in his role, and he's got the skill set and the mental makeup to be real good at it.”
Söderblom and Knight have built a strong relationship on and off the ice, but the road ahead is getting crowded. Drew Commesso’s two-year contract extension this summer adds another layer to the competition.
Still, the formula for Söderblom remains the same. If the 27-year-old returns sharper and more consistent, as he says he intends to, he should have every chance to keep the Blackhawks’ backup job again.
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