The Central Division’s goalie picture is still stacked, and the Blackhawks are trying to keep pace with a group that set the bar high last season. Chicago’s own tandem of Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom sits in the middle of that conversation, with the Blackhawks banking on Knight’s strong first year in town and hoping for more consistency behind him as they chase a climb up the standings.
At the top of the division, Colorado keeps the crown for now. Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood are back after powering the Avalanche to the Western Conference Final, and the numbers back up just how good they were.
Wedgewood posted 45 games played and +23.1 goals saved above expected, while Blackwood added 38 games and +8.3 GSAE. Colorado led the NHL in goals-against per game and save percentage, and even with some regression expected, that duo still sits first on the list.
Dallas comes next with Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith. Oettinger’s 54-game season included a .899 save percentage, the lowest of his career, but his track record suggests a rebound is coming.
DeSmith, meanwhile, gave the Stars exactly what they needed from a backup, finishing with 30 games played and 10.5 GSAE while ranking fourth in the NHL in goals-against average. That combination keeps Dallas near the top.
Winnipeg lands third after a rough 2025-2026 campaign that ended without a playoff berth. The Jets swapped out Eric Comrie for Stuart Skinner, and they’ll be counting on a lift from him alongside Connor Hellebuyck, who played 57 games and finished at +5.5 GSAE.
Hellebuyck, entering his age-33 season, had his lowest save percentage as a Jet, even after winning gold with Team USA at the Olympics. A bounce-back from him and a stronger year from Skinner could push Winnipeg upward.
Minnesota is next, and Jesper Wallstedt is the name to watch. The 23-year-old took over late in the season, played 35 games, and finished second in the NHL in save percentage.
He also earned the playoff start for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson remains in the mix after 50 games and +1.4 GSAE, but Wallstedt is expected to be the starter heading into 2026-2027.
Chicago checks in fifth, and the case starts with Knight. In his first season with the Blackhawks, he played a career-high 54 games and finished at +10.9 GSAE despite working behind a shaky defense.
Soderblom, though, still has work to do after posting -4.0 GSAE in 26 games and never getting above .900 in save percentage over his career. That opens the door for Drew Commesso to get more of a look.
He signed a new contract recently, played well in limited action last season, and will try to show he belongs in the NHL.
Utah sits sixth with Karel Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa. Vejmelka started 64 games, the most of any goalie in the Central Division, and finished at +6.9 GSAE.
Cossa is getting his first full-time NHL chance after replacing Vitek Vanecek, but he remains unproven. The Mammoth have a solid defense and a promising young forward group, yet the goaltending still slots them in the middle of the pack.
Nashville is seventh. Juuse Saros, now on the wrong side of 30, has seen his goals-against average rise in each of his last five seasons, and his 59-game, -9.3 GSAE year reflected that slide. Justus Annunen gave the Predators a useful backup season with 28 games and +8.3 GSAE, but the article makes clear the team’s improved competitiveness in 2025-2026 had little to do with its netminders.
St. Louis rounds out the division.
Joel Hofer posted the better season by far, with 46 games and +11.7 GSAE, while Jordan Binnington struggled badly at 41 games and -22.4 GSAE. Binnington opened the year as the starter but never found his footing, though he looked far better while wearing Canada’s colors at the Olympics.
Hofer took over after the Olympic break and nearly dragged the Blues back into the playoffs, and he is expected to be the starter going into 2026-2027.
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For Chicago, none of those moves changes the top of the roster, but each one is another reminder of how quickly the edges of an organization can turn over in July. Rodrigue never really got much runway with the Blackhawks, while Mast had at least put himself in position to be part of the conversation after a productive season in Rockford, making his exit a notable one for a team still sorting out its pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
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Bowen Byram Has A Blackhawks Connection Fans Never Saw Coming
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There is also a family thread here that gives this move a little extra texture for Blackhawks fans. Byrams connection to Chicago runs through his father, Shawn, who had a brief NHL career of his own, and the younger Byram has already had a few memorable moments against the Blackhawks, including scoring his first NHL goal in a win over them. Now he gets a chance to make his own mark in the same sweater his father once wore, and that kind of full-circle detail is hard to miss in a market that remembers its hockey history. [Read more 🡒]