3 Roster Moves the Chicago Blackhawks Should Make After Demoting Lukas Reichel.
Despite this, the team is still committed to the gifted forward, age 21.
The organization had no choice but to make this move because the healthy scratches and moving him up and down the lines were not functioning.
The backup goalie’s debut NHL season has been a complete disaster. Out of 92 goalies in the NHL, he is ranked 90th for goals saved above expectation. That is -11.2 saves less in a game than what a typical goaltender would allow. Put another way, he finds it difficult to pull off the usual save. Moreover, Soderblom frequently loses sight of his size in relation to the goal.
His play has been so bad that you have to start questioning if, as the team did with Cristobal Huet many years ago, he should be loaned out to a European club for the upcoming season. It seems obvious that Soderblom will not be the Blackhawks’ starting goalie going forward.
That player could be Drew Commesso, but he’s not ready for the NHL yet. Jaxson Stauber, a Hawk from Rockford, is able to step in and take Soderblom’s role as Petr Mrazek’s backup.
While Stauber isn’t exactly dominating opponents in the minor leagues, he can produce more than Soderblom can.
Stauber has a record of 7-7-3, a goals-against average of 3.16, and a save percentage of.894. He even scored a goal and shut out the Chicago Wolves lately, which is an uncommon accomplishment.
Stauber should be given a chance, but not primarily because he can do anything unusual. The rationale is that similar to Reichel, Soderblom should be held accountable for his awful performance.
Soderblom has a save percentage of.875 and a GAA of 4.01. Out of his 19 starts, he has only let up two goals in three games.
Stauber’s six-game call-up from the previous season was passable. It won’t hurt to give him a few NHL games to demonstrate his worth in the event that Soderblom regains the form that once again had him projected as the starting goalie for the upcoming season.
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