Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom was miserable as he watched prospect Drew Com-messo get his first NHL win and shutout Jan. 10 against the Predators — but not because he sensed his grip on his job loosening. He was actually thrilled for Commesso.
The misery was because the stomach bug that ripped through the Hawks’ locker room was ripping through him at that moment.
“At one point there, I thought the end was near,” Soderblom said Sunday, chuckling. “I lost eight pounds or so, but it’s all back now. I was looking at myself in the mirror after those two days, and I felt like I was so skinny in my face. It was weird.”
Although Commesso’s spectacular 36-save performance did strengthen his case for an extended NHL opportunity, Soderblom isn’t daunted by that possibility.
“It’s nothing new,” he said. “It’s the best league in the world, so there’s always competition, for sure. I’m just so happy for Drew. He’s such a great guy . . . and he’s always working hard. I wasn’t able to really watch the game fully, but I saw the [third] period, and it was really fun to see.”
Commesso's faced a few chaotic sequences tonight but he's remained calm every time. He's working on a potential shutout pic.twitter.com/0kjmzVUQhr
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 11, 2026
The Hawks’ goalie depth chart has seen unexpected twists and turns since they entered last season expecting Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit to be their backstops. Brossoit’s knee problems allowed Soderblom to revive his career. The acquisition of Spencer Knight from the Panthers pushed Mrazek out. Brossoit then recovered, temporarily disrupting Commesso’s chances before Brossoit was traded to the Sharks this month.
Now Soderblom’s struggles have turned Hawks fans against him again. The 26-year-old Swede is a frequent scapegoat on social media. General manager Kyle Davidson gave him a hearty vote of confidence in December, but the numbers are the numbers: Soderblom ranks 62nd out of 64 NHL goalies with an .868 save percentage. His minus-12.6 GSAA ranks 59th. Knight, by comparison, ranks ninth and second in those categories, respectively, after a 32-save shutout Monday against the Jets.
Earlier this season, Soderblom identified breakaways as a weakness and worked with goalie coach Jimmy Waite to alter his style to defend those more aggressively. The improvement was noticeable, paying off as he won his first two starts after Christmas.
In his most recent start Saturday, however, a strong first period devolved into a poor outing overall as he allowed five Bruins goals on 23 shots.
Afterward, Hawks coach Jeff Blashill acknowledged for the first time that Soderblom “went through a stretch” of not playing well earlier this season. But he added the Hawks’ defensive breakdowns against the Bruins made that particular night difficult to judge.
Soderblom, who still has most of the two-year contract he signed last summer ahead of him, will start again either Thursday against the Hurricanes or Friday against the Lightning. It doesn’t appear he’s in any immediate danger of losing his role.
However, with Commesso approaching restricted free agency this summer, it would be prudent for the Hawks to put more effort into figuring out exactly what they have in their best goalie prospect before the end of the season. The Massachusetts native, 23, has had consistently solid results over the last three years in Rockford, although his AHL save percentage this season recently dipped slightly to .905. (Soderblom also posted a .905 in his last AHL season in 2022-23.)
Commesso’s poise under pressure, quick glove hand and ability to improvise were all on display in Nashville. Soderblom, through 101 career NHL appearances, has a subpar save percentage of .886, although some of that was while playing for some awful Hawks teams.
Could Commesso deliver better results? It seems more likely than not.
Especially after the Olympic break, the Hawks will have to ponder that question and decide how they want to answer it.
