Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Laurent Brossoit will need to wait at least six more weeks to make his team debut, after undergoing a second surgery on his knee per Scott Powers of The Athletic. Brossoit signed a two-year, $6.6MM contract with the Blackhawks this summer, but began the year on season-opening injured reserve after a late-summer surgery on his right meniscus. He didn’t return to skating until late October, and hasn’t had a clear timeline until today.
Brossoit moved to Chicago with sights on challenging Petr Mrazek for the starting role. He had built plenty of momentum over the last two seasons – stepping up as a playoff starter for the Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, and partnering with Connor Hellebuyck to win the Winnipeg Jets last year’s William M. Jennings Trophy for the highest save percentage. Brossoit set a .927 save percentage in 34 games across the pair of years, bringing his career totals up to a .911 save percentage in 140 games, and 10 seasons, in the NHL. But he’s still yet to play 25 or more games in a season despite performing consistently well.
Mrazek has performed surprisingly well in Chicago’s starting role this season, recording a .912 save percentage in 16 games. He’s played in 72 percent of the team’s games this season, putting him on pace for 60 starts. All other ice time has gone to Arvid Soderblom, who’s posted an impressive .926 in six starts. The pair will have at least a month and a half to further plant their feet in the Hawks’ lineup, giving Brossoit a steep hill to overcome when he’s back to full health.
Other notes out of the Midwest:
- The Dallas Stars will see the return of both forward Roope Hintz (undisclosed) and defenseman Nils Lundkvist (lower-body) on Friday night per NHL.com’s Mike Heika. Hintz sat out of Dallas’ Wednesday loss to Chicago, while Lundkvist has missed the last three games. Lundkvist will replace Brendan Smith, while Hintz will tag out with Logan Stankoven, who’s injured with “a little thing from last game,” per Heika. Hintz has eight goals and 13 points in 20 games this season, two fewer points than Stankoven has managed in 21 games. While they swap out in the top six, Lundkvist will search for his first goal of the season – currently boasting just one assist in 15 games.
- The Utah Hockey Club is also making some injury-related swaps, with Maveric Lamoureux out four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury, per a team announcement. Meanwhile, Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune shares that Juuso Valimaki will step into Lamoureux’s absence, and that Robert Bortuzzo will reenter the lineup after leaving Tuesday’s game early with injury. Lamoureux has one goal and three points in 15 games this season – the first of his NHL career. He’s also recorded a team-leading 42 penalty minutes. That’s a bleak stat line, but still more than Bortuzzo or Valimaki have managed – with both vets still without a point through nine and 16 games respectively. They’ll each get another chance to find the scoresheet on Friday.