The Chicago Blackhawks‘ goaltending is already a problem simply because Petr Mrazek and Alex Stalock are not that good of a tandem. They chose to start Arvid Soderblom in the AHL because it is ideal for him to play better down there on a good team.
However, he has already been recalled because Mrazek is out with an injury. He was the backup in Sunday’s crazy win over the Seattle Kraken. Stalock got the start and played okay enough to win the game. He made 30 saves on 34 shots.
No matter what, as the season goes along, it is not going to be easy to be a goalie on this team. There are going to be defensive breakdowns that are less than ideal and that is because they just aren’t that good of a team.
Combine that with where all of these goalies are in their careers and you don’t have the recipe of a top NHL defensive team.
The Chicago Blackhawks are already dealing with goaltending trouble this year.
Soderblom might be the goalie of the future. The Hawks are being forced to have him on the roster right now because of the Mrazek injury but they would probably like him to play as little as possible. They made that clear by picking up Stalock and putting Soderblom in the AHL.
His development is obviously important to this team which is why that move makes sense. There is a chance that the Rockford Ice Hogs are a good team so that would be much better for his development and confidence.
The days of having a true number one like Corey Crawford are done for right now. It was nice to have Marc-Andre Fleury last year but they won some games that they probably shouldn’t have and that hurt their draft stock. This year it is all about rebuilding the roster for the future.
Yes, there is already trouble in the blue paint. However, it is not that big of a deal because of the fact that this is a non-competitive season for Chicago.
They are playing okay right now but the way they are winning is not sustainable. Hopefully, Mrazek comes back healthy and is able to help this team get through the year.
