Blackhawks officially announce settlement of salary arbitration with $2.75M contract extension of goaltender

The Chicago Blackhawks have brought RFA Arvid Soderblom back into the fold.

As reported by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Blackhawks have signed backup goalie Arvid Soderblom to a two-year, $2.75 million AAV deal.

In doing so, the team and Blackhawks won't have to go through the painful process of arbitration, and in a scenario where the team might have to pay him more for his better performance last season.

This report comes nearly 3 weeks after Soderblom filed for arbitration (July 5th, 2025) with the Blackhawks in the hope of a fair payday.

Soderblom provided stable goaltending behind a terrible Blackhawks team, which was leaky on the blue line, and was unable to mount regular comebacks in the third, despite Nick Foligno's encouragement.

Soderblom finished the year with a 10-18-7 record, with a .898 save percentage, and a 3.18 GAA in the NHL.

Soderblom's play has given him a significant pay increase over the last two seasons, which saw him make an AAV of $962K. As it seems, his training with goal coach Jimmy Waite has ultimately paid off for the Blackhawks and the Swedish goalie himself.

The two-year deal will take him into UFA status in 2027, where he'll be free to choose where he'd like to go next, or possibly remain a Blackhawk.

Soderblom has played 86 games in the NHL, all of with the Blackhawks, with a record of 17-52-11, 3.54 GAA, and a .889 career save percentage.

There's been speculation that he's been on the trade block as teams like the Oilers are in the hunt for a goalie.

It remains to be seen where his future lies in Chicago, as Stanislav Berezhnoy was the latest signing in the summer.