Blackhawks sign Arvid Soderblom to two-year contract with $2.75 million cap hit
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed goaltender Arvid Soderblom to a two-year contract with a $2.75 million cap hit, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman.
Chicago and Arvid Soderblom avoid arbitration
2 x $2.75M
Soderblom was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after the conclusion of his two-year contract with a $962,500 cap hit. He had utilized his rights and filed for arbitration earlier in July, and was set to undergo that hearing on Monday, but the Goteborg, Sweden product and the Blackhawks avoid any unnecessary hostilities and agree to a deal beforehand.
At this point in time, there is no confirmation on any bonuses or clauses that come with the contract.
The Blackhawks lock up Soderblom to his age 27 season at 2.88% of the 2025-26 salary cap. His new contract will have him tied for the 38th-highest cap hit among goaltenders in the league. His cap hit comparables are Frederik Andersen and Semyon Varlamov.
Soderblom struggled a bit as a backup goalie for the Blackhawks in 2024-25, as he had a 10-18-7 record, an .898 save percentage, and a -9.09 goals saved above expected. However, Chicago will hope that he can see some improvement, at least enough to be a stable backup goaltender behind Spencer Knight.
Soderblom was an undrafted free agent signing by the Blackhawks out of Sweden in 2021, starting his first season in the AHL while getting into a few NHL games. He played a bit more in 2022-23, but it wasn’t until the 2023-24 season that he established himself as a regular in the NHL.
The Blackhawks have had a busy offseason on the trade market, acquiring Andre Burakovsky and Sam Lafferty via trade, but stayed quiet in free agency, with their most notable signing being Dominic Toninato. They currently have around $21.4 million in salary cap space, with only Wyatt Kaiser left to re-sign among their RFAs.