Snapshots: Wennberg, Brossoit, Kampf
A familiar face in teal is absent for this evening’s action, as Sharks center Alexander Wennberg is out with an upper-body injury per the team.
The veteran had yet to miss a contest on the campaign, where he has put up 43 points in 64 games. After bouncing around for a bit, Wennberg has found a home in San Jose, playing a large role and getting power play time. He’s averaging the highest usage of his career at age 31, also with his best point totals since 2016-17, back when the Swede was looking like a rising star in Columbus.
With Igor Chernyshov also out to injury after being hospitalized, Philipp Kurashev and Pavol Regenda fill out the Sharks’ third line in Ottawa, the team needing to stockpile points to hold onto Wild Card berth.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Also regarding San Jose, goaltender Laurent Brossoit is making his Sharks debut, shared by the team in their lineup announcement. The soon to be 33-year-old has impressively worked his way back into the NHL for the first time since April 2024 as a Winnipeg Jet. To help paint the picture of how long it has been, Brossoit turned away two shots from retired forward Zach Parise in that contest. Since then, the veteran spent the last two years in the AHL, after a standout free agent deal with Chicago didn’t materialize due to knee issues, and subsequently being brought in by the Sharks after not playing a single game as a Blackhawk. Brossoit has played very well in the AHL this year, posting a .915 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against-average, dominating with 11 wins in 14 games. The performance earned a call up two days ago with Yaroslav Askarov sidelined.
- Newly acquired Capitals forward David Kampf’s debut with the team will be further delayed. Head coach Spencer Carbery told reporters, including Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network, that he has returned to Vancouver to be with his wife who is expecting a child shortly. Kampf is also dealing with continued visa issues, missing the Caps’ last several games, and hasn’t appeared since March 4 as a Canuck. Brought in at the deadline for a sixth-round pick, the 31-year-old will be eager to return soon and build his stock going into free agency this summer, where the center market will be sparse. Washington is unlikely to make the playoffs, but the Czech native could make a case to stick around as Nic Dowd’s replacement. Playing on the league’s worst team in the Canucks did a number on Kampf’s point totals and plus/minus, but he still has a respectable 49.8% corsi for at five-on-five, an improvement over his last three seasons with Toronto.
Sharks Recall Laurent Brossoit
The Sharks were without starter Yaroslav Askarov against the Bruins in Boston last night, forcing Alex Nedeljkovic to take the starter’s crease and University of New Hampshire goalie Kyle Chauvette to dress as his backup with no time to get a recall out from the West Coast. With it looking like Askarov will miss at least another game with his undisclosed issue, they’re back to having two healthy goalies on the active roster by recalling Laurent Brossoit from AHL San Jose, the team announced.
If Askarov is out long enough to warrant Brossoit getting a start, it will be his first NHL appearance in nearly two years. He has 140 games of NHL experience and was viewed as one of the best #2 options in the league heading into free agency in 2023, coming off back-to-back seasons of .927 save percentages in spot starts with the Golden Knights and Jets. He landed a two-year, $6.6MM commitment from the Blackhawks, but needed meniscus surgery just weeks later, which spiraled into a whole host of other lower-body issues. He lost the entire 2024-25 campaign to knee surgeries and was out for several weeks to begin the 2025-26 campaign as well after a subsequent hip procedure.
Brossoit returned to health in December. Chicago didn’t have much of a use for him with Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom holding down the fort in the NHL, and they didn’t want him taking starts away from third-stringer Drew Commesso in the minors. After Brossoit showed he was back to full health, logging a .901 SV% in six outings with AHL Rockford after clearing waivers, San Jose – in need of an upgrade in the #3 slot – moved to acquire him.
Since the pickup, the 32-year-old has been exceptional in a minor-league role for San Jose. In 14 games, he has a .915 SV%, 2.48 GAA, and a 11-2-1 record. He’s seventh in the league in save percentage across both Rockford and San Jose among goalies with at least 20 appearances this year. He’ll look to be an extremely comfortable stopgap option behind Nedeljkovic for the time being as the Sharks chase down their first playoff berth in seven years.
Sharks Acquire Nolan Allan, Laurent Brossoit
The Sharks have acquired defenseman Nolan Allan, goaltender Laurent Brossoit, and a 2028 seventh-round pick from the Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Jake Furlong, a 2028 fourth-round pick, and the contract of retired defenseman Ryan Ellis, both teams announced.
While Brossoit is the highest-priced piece of San Jose’s pickups, Allan’s name is of most intrigue. A first-round selection by Chicago out of WHL Prince Albert in 2021, he’s now in his third professional season. The 22-year-old has been in AHL Rockford for the entirety of 2025-26 but gained a fair bit of NHL experience last season, frequently forming a shutdown pairing with veteran T.J. Brodie and recording eight points and a -13 rating in 43 games.
Nonetheless, Allan’s development hasn’t panned out as the Blackhawks hoped. Drafted as a shutdown D-man, his game hasn’t shown much development since debuting in the AHL in 2023. He ends his time in Rockford with 29 points and an even rating in 109 games, including six points and a -2 rating in 29 appearances this year.
Although it’s peculiar to see Chicago leverage Allan’s name in a move that’s otherwise a swap of negative-value contracts, it’s not surprising to see them move on. He was no longer even considered a top-15 prospect in their pool by McKeen’s Hockey entering the season and had little to no pathway to an NHL role with Alex Vlasic, Wyatt Kaiser, Kevin Korchinski, and Ethan Del Mastro all on the Hawks’ roster or system as more certain long-term options on the left side of their defense.
With the blue line being a bit of a weaker spot in the Sharks’ similarly well-stocked prospect pool, it makes sense they’d take up an interest in a shutdown rearguard with first-round pedigree. While Sam Dickinson is ticketed as their long-term left-side anchor, they don’t have very much behind him in terms of younger pieces aside from 2023 fourth-rounder Luca Cagnoni, who profiles as a high-end power play quarterback but faces questions of how well his defensive game will develop at even strength. Allan will thus immediately take on a significant role with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda as he works to climb back to the NHL.
As for Brossoit, the 32-year-old gets the change of scenery he and the Blackhawks were looking for after he finally returned to play from a year-plus absence last month. One of the best pure backups in the league earlier in the decade, he signed a two-year, $6.6MM contract with Chicago in free agency in 2024 but sustained an offseason meniscus injury that effectively derailed his career.
After multiple knee surgeries and a hip procedure last summer, Brossoit finally returned to practice with the Hawks in November and started in Rockford on a conditioning stint in December. With no real spot available for him on the NHL or AHL depth chart after such a long absence, he cleared waivers without incident, and Chicago has been looking for a trade partner ever since.
Brossoit has done reasonably well in his return to play, logging a .901 SV% and 3.38 GAA and a 3-3-0 record in six games with Rockford. For a Sharks team that faced questions about its goaltending depth entering the season, he’s a legitimately impactful pickup. He won’t be supplanting Yaroslav Askarov or Alex Nedeljkovic on the NHL roster anytime soon, but he’s a significant upgrade as their third-stringer and AHL starter over Jakub Skarek, who owns a .894 SV% in 16 appearances for the Barracuda.
Chicago’s return centers around Ellis. The 35-year-old has now been traded twice since effectively hanging up his skates following a pelvic tear in 2021 that ended his career just four games into his tenure with the Flyers. The longtime Predators top-four piece remained on Philadelphia’s books until the beginning of this season, when the Sharks picked up his contract in the trade that sent Carl Grundström to Philadelphia in order to help them stay above the cap floor.
Ellis’ deal, which carries a cap hit of $6.25MM, runs through next season. Chicago pulled a similar move at last year’s trade deadline to help them stay above the cap floor, acquiring Shea Weber‘s deal from Utah. Weber’s contract expires next summer, though, so adding Ellis will give them floor protection heading into next season as they continue to hand the keys to their roster over to their next wave of young prospects on cheap entry-level deals.
As well as a three-round pick upgrade in the 2028 draft, the Hawks land some AHL depth in Furlong to help offset the loss of Allan and to keep the Sharks from exceeding the 50-contract limit, which they’re currently at. A fifth-rounder in 2022, Furlong was a dynamic two-way rearguard in juniors with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads but hasn’t yet found any success at the pro level. The 21-year-old is in his second AHL season and has been limited to one goal, 10 points, and a -20 rating in 78 games with the Barracuda, including just 12 appearances this year as a frequent healthy scratch.
Image courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images.
Blackhawks Reassign Laurent Brossoit
Dec. 16: Brossoit cleared waivers and will be reassigned to Rockford, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Dec. 15: Blackhawks goaltender Laurent Brossoit won’t be sticking on the roster after his conditioning loan to AHL Rockford ended today. He’ll be placed on waivers at 1:00 p.m. Central and will head back to Rockford if he clears tomorrow, head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters (including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times).
Brossoit was never expected to report to Chicago after returning to practice last month and eventually being sent to Rockford for his first playing action in more than a year. He’s been permitted to seek a trade to find a new NHL home, but with no takers so far, he’ll end up on the wire to extend his stay in Rockford.
In all likelihood, the 32-year-old will never play a game for the Blackhawks after signing a two-year, $6.6MM contract in free agency in 2024. There’s no longer a place for him on the roster with Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom now entrenched as Chicago’s two NHL options. Late-summer surgery on his meniscus spiraled into more knee surgeries that eventually cost him the entire 2024-25 campaign, and a hip procedure this past summer kept him on the injured list to begin this year.
When Brossoit appeared for Rockford on Dec. 5, it was his first playing action since a relief appearance for the Jets in the 2024 playoffs. The veteran netminder was coming off back-to-back seasons with an exceptional .927 SV% in a backup role before reaching the open market and signing with Chicago.
While his knee and hip issues ended up taking out a solid chunk of his prime, his stint with Rockford showed he’s still a pro-level netminder and could easily find a home elsewhere if Chicago is willing to retain some of his $3.3MM cap hit. He logged a .900 SV% in three starts for the IceHogs – even scoring a goalie goal – and recorded a 2-1-0 record with a 3.39 GAA.
Teams can now have Brossoit for free over the next 24 hours, but they’ll need to take on his full cap hit if they don’t want to pay an acquisition cost. While he counts $3.3MM against the cap, his salary is only $2.3MM this season after Chicago paid out a $1MM signing bonus at the beginning of the season. That could be attractive to cash-conscious teams with cap space to burn.
Blackhawks Place Connor Bedard On Injured Reserve
Dec. 16th: According to an update from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, Bedard has reportedly suffered a separated shoulder. Given that the team will re-evaluate Bedard in early January, this suggests that it’s no more than a Grade 2 separation, which typically has a recovery timeline of four to eight weeks. If it’s only a Grade 1 separation, Bedard may only miss a few weeks. The lack of motivation for surgery indicates that Bedard didn’t suffer a Grade 3 separation or beyond, which carries a recovery timeline of multiple months.
Dec. 15th: According to a team announcement, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed star center Connor Bedard on the injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 12. In a corresponding roster move, the Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Ethan Del Mastro and have returned goaltender Laurent Brossoit from his conditioning stint.
Bedard will be out through the holiday break and will be re-evaluated in early January, head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters (including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times). They’re not currently considering surgery for his suspected shoulder ailment.
His injury stems from the Blackhawks’ recent game against the St. Louis Blues. In the final moments of the contest, Bedard got tied up with Blues center Brayden Schenn during a faceoff and went down awkwardly. He was seen skating to the bench clutching his right shoulder, and no further updates have been given regarding the severity of his injury.
Losing Bedard for any amount of time is understandably a gut punch to a relatively competitive Chicago team. In the midst of a true breakout before the injury, Bedard had scored 19 goals and 44 points in 31 games, averaging 21:03 of ice time per contest. Nearly every facet of his game had taken meaningful steps forward, from his on-ice save percentage at even strength, CorsiFor% at even strength, to his faceoff percentage.
The Blackhawks already lost their first game without Bedard the following night at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings, and will play the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens before he’s eligible to return. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a noticeable decrease in offensive output over those two games, as the team’s next leading scorer is Tyler Bertuzzi with 16 goals and 26 points in 29 games. Of Bertuzzi’s 16 goals, Bedard has assisted on 11 of them.
Del Mastro, 22, has already suited up in one game for the Blackhawks this season, earning a -1 rating in 17:35 of action. With that, he’s spent the rest of his time with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, scoring one goal and 11 points in 27 games with a +6 rating.
Although he will serve as the team’s seventh defenseman throughout their upcoming road trip, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Del Mastro won’t be in the lineup against the Maple Leafs and Canadiens. Throughout much of the 2025-26 campaign, head coach Jeff Blashill has opted to dress seven defensemen instead of the typical six, which may continue now that Chicago is down to 13 forwards on the active roster.
Meanwhile, Brossoit will have the opportunity to play in his first NHL contest since the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. He’s been recovering from both meniscus and hip surgeries over the last two years with the Blackhawks and is finally healthy enough to debut with the club. His numbers were fairly encouraging over his conditioning loan, managing a 2-1-0 record in three games with a .900 SV%.
Blackhawks Activate, Reassign Laurent Brossoit
Laurent Brossoit is finally getting back into game action. The Blackhawks announced they’ve activated the veteran netminder from the injured non-roster list and assigned him to AHL Rockford for a conditioning stint, bypassing waivers for the time being. Brossoit can play in Rockford for up to two weeks until Chicago must keep him on their active roster or place him on waivers for a permanent AHL assignment. Since the Hawks have an open roster spot, they don’t need to make a corresponding transaction.
Rockford’s next game is on Friday. If he plays, that would mark 583 days since his last appearance, when he entered in relief of Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets in Game 4 of their first-round loss to the Avalanche on April 28, 2024. Brossoit, an unrestricted free agent the following summer, signed a two-year, $6.6MM contract with the Blackhawks but needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in August.
That kicked off a slate of three surgeries that have conspired to keep the 32-year-old out of action ever since signing the largest deal of his career. Brossoit was initially expected to only miss the first few weeks of the 2024-25 campaign, but was downgraded to out indefinitely in November and underwent a second cleanup procedure on his knee a few weeks later. That was expected to get him back in action in mid-January, but his recovery again didn’t go as planned, and he was shut down for the season in March. At the beginning of this year’s training camp, general manager Kyle Davidson said Brossoit had another offseason surgery – this time on his hip – and would remain out indefinitely.
That had some wondering, rightfully so, if 2025-26 would be another entirely lost season for Brossoit, potentially even marking the end of his career. That talk was quieted a couple of weeks ago when Brossoit was spotted on the ice at Blackhawks practice for the first time. With several skates under his belt and no further setbacks, he’ll get his feet wet in Rockford.
The Blackhawks will undoubtedly take advantage of the full two weeks afforded to them to keep Brossoit on his conditioning stint. With Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom now firmly entrenched as the team’s NHL goaltending duo, it’s clear they don’t plan on keeping him on the active roster once it’s over. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported over the weekend that the Hawks have given Brossoit permission to seek a trade. If they can’t land a deal by Dec. 16, he’ll likely end up on waivers and will stay in Rockford if he clears.
There should be legitimate intrigue in Brossoit, particularly if the Blackhawks retain a portion of his $3.3MM cap hit. The career backup had put up spectacular numbers in two straight seasons, albeit in small samples, before reaching the open market. The hope was that Brossoit could establish himself in Chicago as a legitimate tandem option who could sniff 30-35 starts. That obviously didn’t go to plan, but he still logged a 22-5-5 record, .927 SV%, 2.05 GAA, and three shutouts in 34 appearances for the Golden Knights and Jets across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, good for 19.0 goals saved above expected (per MoneyPuck).
If Brossoit doesn’t get traded or claimed on waivers and ends up remaining a Blackhawk, Chicago will be able to knock $1.15MM off his cap hit by burying him in the minors. That will reduce his impact to $2.15MM for the rest of the season until he comes off their books next summer. For a Blackhawks team that’s already accumulated over $20.6MM in cap space this season, though, that’s not much of a concern.
West Notes: Oilers Goaltending, Garland, Brossoit
The Edmonton Oilers have surrendered the most goals of any team in the NHL so far this season, and that’s something many believe to be the primary driver of Edmonton’s less-than-stellar start to 2025-26. But while there are those who hope that the Oilers move on from netminders Stuart Skinner (.885 save percentage in 19 games) and Calvin Pickard (.847 in nine games), it doesn’t appear the Oilers feel any rush to get a deal done for a new goalie.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on yesterday’s Saturday Headlines segment that Edmonton has “made enough calls” to know which goalies are likely available to them, but are not willing to make a trade that they would view as a “lateral move.” Whether or not swapping Skinner for a goalie such as Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry, Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins, or a member of Buffalo’s goalie trio would represent a real upgrade is a matter of fair debate, but as of right now, it appears that debate is settled as far as Edmonton’s management is concerned. According to Friedman, they’d rather continue ahead with Skinner, with whom they’ve reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, than make what they’d view as a less-than-optimal goalie swap.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland missed yesterday’s game with an injury, but Friedman reported that the ailment is “not believed to be serious.” Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reported that Garland’s injury is not concussion-related, and while he will remain with the team for their road trip, he is questionable to play in the Canucks’ next game, Tuesday, in Denver. Garland is a key play-driver for the Canucks and has 15 points in 21 games so far in 2025-26.
- Aside from Edmonton, Friedman also reported a development regarding the goalie situation of another Western team: the Chicago Blackhawks. Veteran goalie Laurent Brossoit is set to return from a year-and-a-half injury absence, but finds himself outside of Chicago’s goaltending plans. Friedman reported that the Blackhawks have given other teams permission to speak with Brossoit, likely with the hopes that opening the lines of communication will make it easier to complete a trade involving Brossoit. The fact that Brossoit makes $3.3MM against the cap complicates things, but the 32-year-old’s most recent NHL performances (.927 save percentage as a backup in both Winnipeg and Vegas) should help him garner some real interest from other teams.
West Notes: Wedgewood, Brossoit, Mammoth, Canucks
Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood has been added to Canada’s list for potential Olympic participation, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). It has been a breakout season for the 33-year-old who took on the starting job when Mackenzie Blackwood was injured to start the season and he hasn’t relinquished it. Through 17 appearances, he has a 13-1-2 record with a 2.09 GAA and a .918 SV%. While his international experience is also rather limited (just a World Juniors appearance in 2011), Wedgewood has certainly done well enough to warrant late consideration, especially with Canada’s goaltending group still in some question.
More from out West:
- Laurent Brossoit’s tenure with the Blackhawks hasn’t gone as planned. Signed to a two-year deal in 2024, he hasn’t played a second of hockey since then thanks to multiple injuries. That should be changing soon, however. The netminder told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s actually ahead of schedule in his recovery from his most recent hip surgery which has him likely nearing a conditioning stint with AHL Rockford in the near future. Once cleared to do so, he can spend up to two weeks in the minors before needing to be added to Chicago’s roster or placed on waivers.
- While the trade market is still in the process of getting established this early in the season, several teams know they will be looking to buy when the opportunity arises. One team that hasn’t done a lot of that in-season lately is the Mammoth but it appears that will be changing. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes in his latest 32 Thoughts column that Utah is definitely looking to add to its current group. While they’ve scuffled a bit as of late in the win-loss column, they enter play tonight in a Wild Card spot and with them projecting to finish the year more than $5MM under the salary cap per PuckPedia, they have ample flexibility on that front to make a move along with one of the better prospect pools in the league.
- Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen could rejoin the team on their current road trip, relays Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre (Twitter link). It was announced yesterday that he was taking a leave for personal reasons but it appears that his absence will be a short-term one. Meanwhile, MacIntyre adds that their other netminder Thatcher Demko along with winger Nils Hoglander are expected in Los Angeles on Saturday to skate with the team, suggesting they’re nearing a return as well. Vancouver has been decimated with injuries in the early going this season but some help could be on the horizon.
Blackhawks’ Laurent Brossoit Resumes Skating
Blackhawks goaltender Laurent Brossoit was on the ice today ahead of practice for the first time in well over a year, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Brossoit has not played since April 28, 2024, when the former Jets netminder entered Winnipeg’s loss in Game 4 of the first round against the Avalanche in relief of Connor Hellebuyck. He hit unrestricted free agency the following offseason and signed a two-year, $6.6MM contract with Chicago, but he’s yet to even practice with the club – until today.
He’s spent the last 12 months mired in injuries. It started with a meniscus surgery in late August 2024 before he reported to his first training camp in Chicago. That was only supposed to keep him out for around two months, but his return kept getting pushed back until he was downgraded to being out indefinitely in November. He had a second procedure on his knee around Thanksgiving that was supposed to put him back in the lineup in mid-January, but after radio silence until the trade deadline, he was shut down for the year. Brossoit underwent a third surgery this past summer – on his hip, not his knee – and general manager Kyle Davidson said at the beginning of camp that he remained out long-term.
That made most believe he’d essentially spend the balance of his two-year deal on injured reserve and never actually appear on Chicago’s roster before reaching free agency again next summer. He’s still likely weeks, if not months, away from a return, considering how much time he’s missed, but the fact that he’s on the ice this early in the campaign gives him a fighting chance at returning to play at some point.
Before signing with the Blackhawks, Brossoit had put up back-to-back career years. A lifelong backup, he’d posted a .927 SV% and 2.00 GAA with three shutouts in a career-high 22 starts for Winnipeg in 2024-25. The year prior, injuries limited Brossoit to 11 regular-season appearances for the Golden Knights, but he was similarly efficient, posting a 7-0-3 record and a .927 SV% with a 2.17 GAA. On a per-60-minute basis, Brossoit ranked sixth in the league in goals saved above expected in 2022-23 and fifth in 2023-24 among goalies with at least 10 games played, according to MoneyPuck.
That had the Hawks high on him as a veteran option to provide insurance for Petr Mrázek, whose workload they wanted to decrease after he started in a career-high 53 games in 2023-24. Since then, Chicago’s crease has undergone a drastic transformation. After Mrázek put together a strong .907 SV% in 2023-24, he dipped to a .890 SV% and 3.46 GAA in 33 appearances for the Hawks last year and was shipped off to the Red Wings at the deadline.
Now, Chicago’s crease is locked in with two young names. There’s 2019 first-rounder Spencer Knight, acquired from the Panthers last season in the Seth Jones deal, who’s arguably been the best goalie in the league this season with a .924 SV%, 2.42 GAA, and 14.7 goals saved above expected in 13 starts. His backup is 26-year-old Arvid Söderblom, whose emergence as an above-average backup option last year made Mrázek expendable. He hasn’t gotten much playing time this year behind Knight, but in five starts, he’s been more than passable with a 2-2-1 record, .913 SV%, and 2.63 GAA.
That doesn’t leave a clear spot for Brossoit on the NHL roster if he’s to return. With Knight shouldering such a high percentage of the workload, a three-goalie rotation isn’t feasible. He’ll likely land on waivers if he’s cleared to play and assigned to AHL Rockford. Since he’s had so much time away, it’s hard to see a team trading for him – or signing him in free agency next summer – before they see him get into sustained action at the minor-league level.
Blackhawks’ Laurent Brossoit Underwent Hip Surgery
Sep. 18: Brossoit’s continued absence isn’t related to his knee injury after all. The goaltender underwent yet another surgery during the offseason, this time on his hip, which will continue to leave him out long-term, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Sep. 16: Blackhawks goaltender Laurent Brossoit will not participate in training camp as he continues to deal with a right knee injury that already cost him the entire 2024-25 season, the team said when announcing their training camp roster today. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times relays that Brossoit’s absence will be “likely a lot longer than [camp].”
A second missed season would result in Brossoit never playing a game for the Hawks after landing a two-year, $6.6MM commitment from them in free agency last summer. He was initially brought in to challenge veteran Petr Mrázek for the starters’ crease or, at the very least, provide veteran insurance in case the younger Arvid Söderblom continued to falter after an underwhelming showing in 2023-24. While a career backup option, Brossoit was coming off an excellent showing behind Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg with a .927 SV% and 2.00 GAA in a career-high 22 starts and capitalized on a weak goaltending market as a UFA.
Then, the injury hit. Brossoit underwent meniscus surgery in late August 2024 and was only initially expected to miss five to seven weeks, eating into his training camp but putting him on track to be available for the beginning of the regular season. The team was still optimistic about his return timeline as the season opener came and went. The team then abruptly downgraded him from day-to-day to indefinite in November. He had a second surgery that was supposed to have him on track to make his season debut in January or February, but the team ended up shutting him down for the season at the trade deadline.
The team was noncommittal about Brossoit’s availability for camp even at the beginning of the offseason, expressing hopefulness but not going so far as to make any official declarations on his status. They kicked the can even further down the road today.
Even if he was healthy, Brossoit would be something of an afterthought in Chicago by now. Söderblom established himself as a legitimate NHL option last season, making 36 appearances and logging a respectable .898 SV% and 3.18 GAA to represent massive upgrades from his prior-year performance. The club then picked up 2019 first-rounder Spencer Knight from the Panthers before the trade deadline as the main piece of the return for defenseman Seth Jones. He enters camp as the undisputed starter and recently put pen to paper on a three-year, $17.5MM extension.
Cap space is of no concern for the Blackhawks, who are closer to the floor than the limit. They’ll have no issue leaving Brossoit’s $3.3MM cap hit on injured reserve for the balance of the 2025-26 campaign if he can’t stage a comeback.
Brossoit’s absence means that offseason free agent signing Stanislav Berezhnoy, a 22-year-old out of Russia, should be the other half of their tandem with Drew Commesso in AHL Rockford. If Brossoit was healthy and ended up heading to the minors, Berezhnoy might have been pushed to an ECHL role to get him playing time to start the year.