The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they've acquired goaltender Spencer Martin from the New York Rangers in exchange for goaltender Arvid Soderblom.
Martin will report directly to Rockford, so this deal doesn't change who's in Chicago's crease when the Blackhawks face the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
It does close a loop that opened a week ago. Elliotte Friedman reported last Sunday that Arvid Soderblom was on waivers, and now the 27-year-old is headed to New York.
Soderblom, a 6-foot-3 Gothenburg native, has played 5 games for Chicago this season and 117 over his NHL career.
Martin is 31, from Oakville, Ontario, and was a third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2013. He has 73 career NHL games, with one appearance this season for the Rangers.
Money is part of this one. Martin carries an $850,000 cap hit and Soderblom $2.75 million, and both contracts expire after this season with each goalie headed for unrestricted free agency.
Does a goalie swap help the Blackhawks at all?
Not in any way that shows up in the standings. Chicago is 5-13-2, 31st in the NHL, and has allowed 83 goals, the worst of the three teams in this deal by a wide margin.
Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to Winnipeg was another example. Spencer Knight stopped 27 of 31 shots and the Blackhawks still couldn't hold on, which doesn't point to a problem that a goalie headed to Rockford can fix.
The Blackhawks are 0-8-1 on the road and 2-6-2 in their last 10. Jeff Blashill's group needs better results in front of the net and in front of Knight, not a different name on the AHL roster.
For the Rangers, the move is quieter. They're 12-8-1, third in the Metropolitan Division, and they face the Canadiens on Monday with Soderblom now in the organization.
Chicago opens the week Tuesday against Toronto, still looking for its first road win.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Who got the better end of the Martin for Soderblom trade?
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