Blackhawks Goalie Blasts Team After Shocking Roster Move
Starter Spencer Knight, who gave up six goals to Carolina before Soderblom came in to relieve him, made it clear Monday that he doesn’t think his partner is the problem.
“I look at myself and the people in this room, (we) should be p***ed off at ourselves for letting us allow that to happen,” Knight told reporters, including Kalen Lumpkins of the Chicago Tribune.
“I think we put him in pretty s***ty spots, to be honest with you.”
Knight Takes The Blame For Soderblom
Knight kept going, saying Soderblom had played well for Chicago for a long time and that the team didn’t help him.
“I’m sure there’s times where he wants to perform and play better, but I think he’s played really well for us for a long stretch of time, and I think there are times that we f***ed him over as a team,” Knight said.
“I wish I could be there for him. I don’t feel good about it.”
Spencer Knight did not mince words when I asked him about Arvid Söderblom: “I look at myself and the people in this room — (we) should be pissed off at ourselves for letting us allow that to happen. I think we put him in pretty shitty spots, to be honest with you. I’m sure there’s times where he wants to perform and play better, but I think he's played really well for us for a long stretch of time, and I think there are times that we fucked him over as a team. I wish I could be there for him. When suddenly that happens to your teammate, especially as a goalie partner, I don't feel good about it. I hope everyone on the team takes a little pride in the sense that we can't let that stuff happen, and we can't put our teammates in those spots.”
— Kalen Lumpkins (@kalenalumpkins) November 9, 2026
The numbers this season weren’t kind to Soderblom, who went 0-3-1 with a 4.67 goals-against average and an .842 save percentage in five appearances, including four starts.
But Knight’s point about the team in front of him holds up. Chicago’s 3.13 expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 ranks 30th in the NHL, so both goalies have been under fire most nights.
Knight hasn’t been immune either. He’s at an .881 save percentage this season after posting a .902 across 55 starts last year.
Chicago Searching For Answers
The Blackhawks are 4-13-1 and sit last in the Central Division, and Soderblom is the first casualty of a start that has gone sideways fast.
The 27-year-old Swede had been a steady part of Chicago’s crease for a while. He started at least 26 games in each of the previous three seasons, posting save percentages of .880, .898 and .880.
He’s in the second year of a two-year, $5.5 million deal he signed in the summer of 2025 to avoid arbitration, which carries a $2.75 million cap hit.
#Blackhawks have placed goaltender Arvid Soderblom on waivers. Spencer Knight is on pace for 68 starts this season, which is an unsustainable workload. They've had to ride him hard because of the lack of reliable backup goaltending and the team's early-season struggles.
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 8, 2026
Knight and Soderblom built a close relationship after Knight arrived in Chicago in the spring of 2025, with Soderblom saying at the time that he learned a lot from watching the younger goalie’s game.
Commesso, a 2020 second-round pick, now gets his shot as Knight’s backup. He went 2-1-0 with a 2.31 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and a shutout in three starts with the Blackhawks last season.
