Soderblom will start Friday's road game against Winnipeg, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports.
Petr Mrazek started the Blackhawks' Opening Night matchup against Utah on Tuesday, but Soderblom will draw his first start of the regular season in the first half of a back-to-back Friday. Soderblom made 32 regular-season appearances for Chicago last year and posted a 5-22-2 record, 3.92 GAA and .879 save percentage.
Blackhawks' Wyatt Kaiser: Activated off injured reserve
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Kaiser (illness) was taken off injured reserve Thursday.
Kaiser's activation saw Isaak Phillips sent down to AHL Rockford in a corresponding move. For his part, the 22-year-old Kaiser will need to edge out youngster Nolan Allan for a spot in the lineup against the Jets on Friday. If Kaiser does get into the lineup, he should offer decent mid-range fantasy value after racking up seven assists in 32 games last year.
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Blackhawks' Isaak Phillips: Sent to Rockford
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Phillips was assigned to AHL Rockford on Thursday, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Phillips began the regular season on Chicago's 23-man roster, but he didn't appear in the team's season-opening loss to Utah. He'll head to the minors after Wyatt Kaiser (illness) was activated from injured reserve Thursday.
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Blackhawks' Alex Vlasic: Nabs helper in loss
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Vlasic posted an assist and three blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
Nick Foligno tipped in a Vlasic shot at 4:48 of the third period to get the Blackhawks within a goal. Vlasic produced 16 points, 148 blocked shots and a minus-4 rating over 76 contests last season, which was solid production for the low-scoring Blackhawks. The 23-year-old blueliner is set to fill a top-four role this season, but he'll have to get more involved on offense to be an option for most fantasy managers.
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Blackhawks' Seth Jones: Registers helper Tuesday
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Jones logged an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
Jones helped out on a Teuvo Teravainen goal in the second period. The 30-year-old Jones is poised to see significant minutes once again for the Blackhawks, but he's had mixed results over his three years with the team. He's missed the 40-point mark in consecutive seasons, and he also failed to reach double digits in power-play production in 2023-24. The Blackhawks improved their roster this offseason, so there's a chance Jones can do better than his 31-point effort from 67 games last season, but he's likely to remain a tough player to roster in fantasy formats that count plus-minus rating.
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Blackhawks' Connor Bedard: Chips in with two assists
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Bedard notched two assists and five shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
Bedard had a hand in both of the Blackhawks' goals, making him a bright spot in the loss. The 19-year-old will be asked to carry a large share of the offense again this season, though he looks more than capable of that task. He produced 22 goals, 39 assists and 206 shots on net last season while also taking a minus-44 rating over 68 appearances. With a slightly better supporting cast, Bedard could push for the 70-point mark in 2024-25.
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Blackhawks' Nick Foligno: Buries goal in season opener
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Foligno scored a goal on two shots and added six hits in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
Foligno got a piece of an Alex Vlasic shot to bring the Blackhawks within a goal early in the third period. Last season, Foligno matched his highest goal total in the last seven years with 17 tallies and added 20 assists, 192 hits and 57 PIM across 74 contests in his first campaign with the Blackhawks. The 36-year-old averaged 17:46 of ice time per game in 2023-24, but he saw just 13:54 in Tuesday's loss, indicating a significantly smaller middle-six role ahead in 2024-25. As such, don't expect the veteran winger to match his output from last year.
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Blackhawks' Teuvo Teravainen: Finds twine in loss
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Teravainen scored a goal in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Utah.
Teravainen broke up Connor Ingram's shutout bid at 14:27 of the second period. The 30-year-old Teravainen has gotten first dibs on a first-line role alongside Connor Bedard, who set up his tally Tuesday. Keeping that plum assignment will be critical for Teravainen's offense this year. He had a career-best 25 goals and added 28 assists over 76 contests with the Hurricanes last season, but the supporting cast in Chicago is much weaker than what he's been used to in Carolina.
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Blackhawks' Petr Mrazek: Rough start to season
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Mrazek surrendered four goals on 24 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Utah. Utah also scored one empty-net goal.
Mrazek's preseason struggles carried over to Opening Night, as Utah scored the first three goals of the game and never looked back. The 32-year-old netminder also gave up a goal to Lawson Crouse in the final minute after Utah's empty-netter. Mrazek is set to see a starting role to begin 2024-25, but the Blackhawks' defense doesn't inspire much confidence, which could make it tough for him to replicate his 3.04 GAA and .907 save percentage from last season.
Mrazek will defend the road net Tuesday on Opening Night versus Utah HC, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Mrazek provided a record of 18-31-4 with a 3.05 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 56 games during the 2023-24 regular season. He only registered four wins in 27 outings on the road last campaign.
Phillips is listed on the Blackhawks' 23-man roster Monday despite passing through waivers.
Phillips' spot on the roster should probably be considered tenuous at best, as he almost certainly will be re-assigned to AHL Rockford once fellow blueliner Wyatt Kaiser (illness) is cleared to return. Even with Phillips as an option, he is unlikely to break the Opening Night lineup and figures to watch the Hawks face Utah on Tuesday as a healthy scratch.
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Blackhawks' Wyatt Kaiser: Likely to return early in season
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Head coach Luke Richardson said Monday that Kaiser (illness) will likely be available late in Chicago's season-opening road trip or shortly after, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Kaiser was placed on injured reserve Friday, retroactive to Sept. 19, due to an illness. However, it doesn't appear as though he'll be forced to miss significant time to begin the regular season. The Blackhawks open the 2024-25 campaign with four consecutive games on the road, but Kaiser could be cleared to return sometime in mid-October.
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Blackhawks' Landon Slaggert: Heading to Rockford
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Slaggert was assigned to AHL Rockford on Sunday, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Slaggert saw some time with the Blackhawks during the preseason but was unable to make the team's Opening Night roster. He'll likely be in the mix to be called back up if Chicago needs additional depth at some point.
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Blackhawks' Drew Commesso: Sent to minors
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Commesso was assigned to AHL Rockford on Sunday, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Commesso wasn't particularly effective during his lone preseason start, as he turned aside 35 of 42 shots in a 7-2 loss to Minnesota. He made 38 regular-season appearances for Rockford last year and will return to the minors now that the preseason has concluded. Since Laurent Brossoit (knee) will begin the season on injured reserve, Commesso could be called up if Petr Mrazek or Arvid Soderblom deal with injuries at some point.
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Blackhawks' Isaak Phillips: Waived by Chicago
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Phillips was placed on waivers by Chicago on Sunday, Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Phillips will be let go since NHL rosters are due Monday, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him remain with the organization if he clears waivers. Wyatt Kaiser (illness) was recently placed on injured reserve, so Phillips could play a role with Chicago early in the season if the team is able to retain him.
