If there was any confusion about how the Chicago Blackhawks would be handling their current three-goalie rotation, head coach Anders Sorensen put it to rest on Wednesday night. Following the 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators, a game in which Arvid Söderblom made 22 saves on 26 shots faced, Sorensen made it clear that it would be Söderblom and newly acquired Spencer Knight that would be the tandem for the foreseeable future in Chicago, leaving Petr Mrázek in limbo.

After his 41-save win in his Blackhawks debut on Monday night, and the expectations for him after arriving in Chicago as part of the Seth Jones trade, it’s no surprise that Spencer Knight is the starter to close the 2024-25 season. Pairing those expectations of Knight with how Söderblom has played this season after a dismal 2023-24 campaign, the writing was on the wall for Mrázek to be on the outside looking in. He has been scratched the past two games for the Blackhawks and after the acquisition of Knight, his name has started to swirl in trade talks. On Wednesday night’s CHSN Blackhawks pregame show, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said that the Blackhawks are willing to essentially give Mrázek away in a trade and that he was nearly part of the deal that sent Jones to Florida.

While the market for a player like Mrázek would usually be pretty decent this time of year, his play this season paired with his $4.25M cap hit next season makes moving him without a third team involved in the deal to retain salary (because the Blackhawks can’t) hard to maneuver over the next 36 hours. If a deal isn’t reached, it appears there will be more nights as the odd-man out for the 33-year-old netminder.