Blackhawks, Soderblom Avoid Arbitration with Two-Year Deal

The Chicago Blackhawks and goaltender Arvid Soderblom have agreed to a two-year, $5.5 million contract, avoiding salary arbitration. Elliotte Friedman was the first to report.

The deal carries a $2.75 million average annual value and locks in the 25-year-old Swedish netminder through the 2026-27 season.

Soderblom, who has appeared in 31 NHL games with a career .898 save percentage, has shown flashes of potential despite some inconsistency. He ranked second in save percentage (90.4%) and fourth in goals saved above expected (9.998) among goalies with at least 10 appearances.

While expected to begin the 2025-26 season in a backup role behind Spencer Knight, Soderblom gives the Blackhawks a solid insurance option and could still push for more playing time. The Blackhawks also have Laurent Brossoit under contract for one more season at a rate of $3.3 million.

Chicago views Knight as its long-term starter, but the Soderblom extension indicates that the team isn’t ready to commit solely to one goalie. With rising salary caps and fewer arbitration cases (only 11 filed this offseason compared to 14 last year), the Blackhawks have decided to spend some money on their backup to ensure they have two solid options.

The Soderblom-Knight tandem has the potential to become one of the league’s stronger duos.

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