Goaltender Laurent Brossoit appears to be nearing a return from a lengthy injury that he suffered in the 2023-24 playoffs.
He suffered a knee injury, forcing him to miss the remainder of those playoffs, and he missed the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign.
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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Brossoit isn’t far out from a conditioning stint in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago Blackhawks’ farm team.
With this situation, the Blackhawks already carry Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom on the roster between the pipes. In addition, Brossoit’s $3.3-million cap hit is a lot to carry for a netminder who hasn’t played in well over a year.
Therefore, on “Saturday Headlines,” Friedman reported that Chicago has given other teams permission to speak with the 32-year-old about a potential trade. This transparency also allows other clubs to understand the goaltender’s situation.
“The Blackhawks have given teams permission to talk to him,” Friedman reported on Saturday. “So you can understand what his situation is, what his exact surgery was, what the process is back.”
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With this report, all signs point to a potential trade for Brossoit. However, his cap hit would remain an obstacle.
“Not everybody can take that,” he said. “There might be some work that needs to be done here.”
On Friday’s edition of 32 Thoughts, the podcast, Friedman and co-host Kyle Bukauskas made connections with the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has struggled to find consistency and good performances in the crease.
Laurent Brossoit (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
Brossoit has ties to Edmonton, playing parts of four seasons with the organization between 2014 and 2018. He also featured in five seasons for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, winning a WHL championship in 2011-12.
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In his NHL career, he was a regular backup goaltender before his injury.
During his last season with the Winnipeg Jets, he played 23 games, putting up a 15-5-2 record, along with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage, and three shutouts.
He’s had multiple impressive seasons like that 2023-24 regular season, including stints with the Vegas Golden Knights, and another with the Jets, that turned out to be his best season statistically.
He was a part of Vegas’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2022-23. He made 11 regular-season appearances, registering a 7-0-2 record with a 2.17 GAA and a .927 SP.
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In those playoffs, he made eight starts, winning five games for the Golden Knights. He posted a 3.18 GAA and an .894 SP.
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