Laurent Brossoit is the Blackhawks‘ mystery man.
The veteran goalie the Hawks signed over the summer to replace Arvid Soderblom as their backup behind Petr Mrazek this season still hasn’t played a game this season, and coach Luke Richardson said Saturday that there’s “no timeline” for him to do so.
Brossoit, 31, underwent meniscus surgery Aug. 27 and was initially projected to return between Oct. 1-15. He skated with goalie coach Jimmy Waite before several team practices in October, but he hasn’t been seen at all this week (since the team returned from their most recent road trip).
“[It’s] just a unique position for a big guy,” Richardson said. “We had a timeline; [we were] hoping [he could return] early in the year. But we had to adjust that because he wasn’t ready.”
General manager Kyle Davidson asserted last weekend he’s “not worried” about the long-term availability of Brossoit, who is on a two-year contract.
“Those kinds of injuries for a player versus a goalie, it’s a bit different with a goalie,” Davidson said. “You’re talking about a knee and up-down [movement] and contact. You just want to make sure it’s good.”
As a result, Soderblom will remain on the NHL roster indefinitely, and that might not be a bad thing. He’s still only 25 years old and touts a stellar .933 save percentage in four starts so far this season.
Back and forth
Every season, the Hawks end up frequently sending someone back and forth from Rockford. Depth defenseman Isaak Phillips has been that guy before, and he is again this season.
Officially, Phillips was sent down Oct. 10, called up Oct. 17, sent down Oct. 25 and called up Oct. 29, logging three NHL and two AHL appearances so far while mostly sitting out as a healthy scratch.
“It’s tough going in and out when you’re not in that flow of the season,” Phillips said Saturday. [But] it’s just hockey and you’ve been playing it your whole life, no matter if you’ve played 10 games this year or if you’ve played three. It’s the same game.”
How it works
That late-October stretch was particularly chaotic for Phillips. Here’s how it went:
Friday, Oct. 25: Soderblom fell ill, so the Hawks sent down Phillips to open a roster spot for Drew Commesso to be the backup goalie at home against the Predators. Phillips was told to wait for further instructions.
Saturday, Oct. 26: Commesso needed to back up again for the Hawks in Dallas, so Phillips was booked on a commercial flight to Winnipeg, where Rockford was playing a weekend back-to-back set.
Sunday, Oct. 27: Phillips played in Rockford’s 3-1 loss to Manitoba.
Monday, Oct. 28: Phillips flew with the IceHogs back to Rockford, then caught a ride with coach Anders Sorensen to O’Hare Airport to pick up his car before spending the night at home.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: Soderblom recovered, so Commesso was sent down and Phillips was called back up. Phillips drove back to O’Hare to catch a commercial flight to San Jose, where the Hawks were on the third stop of their road trip.
“The people at O’Hare, they know me pretty well,” Phillips said. “I’m a pro at checking my bag and my hockey sticks by now. [I’ve spent] a little more time at O’Hare than I would like, but it’s fun. You’re living the dream, right? You can’t complain. Every chance you get to play and every chance you get to skate out there in practice is an opportunity to prove yourself.”