The Chicago Blackhawks announced on Sept. 13 that they signed goaltender Spencer Knight to a three-year, $5.83 million AAV contract extension that will kick in during the 2026-27 season.
General manager Kyle Davidson said as part of the extension news, “After joining the team in March, Spencer quickly cemented himself as a crucial piece of our future.”
After a busy summer of extensions for the Blackhawks, including Frank Nazar and Ryan Donato, the Knight contract is another great move by the team.
Spencer Knight Extension
After being acquired from the Florida Panthers in March as part of the Seth Jones trade, the hope was that Knight could be the team’s solution in net. After all, Petr Mrazek was a veteran goalie on a two-year contract. Arvid Söderblom was the team’s backup, and with Drew Commesso still developing with the Rockford IceHogs, and with Laurent Brossoit being out for the season with an injury, the goaltending position had a lot of question marks because there wasn’t a clear answer for a long-term number one goaltender.
Then came Knight. He had everything the Blackhawks had been wanting, considering his age (24 years old) and the fact that he had so much potential as a starter, but he wasn’t going to get a bigger opportunity with the Florida Panthers behind Sergei Bobrovsky. As a former first-round pick that Davidson said the Blackhawks had always liked, even during his draft year in 2019, it ended up being a great resolution to the Jones trade.
Knight started most of the games after the trade, playing in 15 games and posting a 5-8-2 record, with a 3.18 GAA (goals-against average) and a .896 SV% (save percentage). Those numbers might not initially stand out, but considering the struggles of the team in front of him, he absolutely showed his capability.
Insider Elliotte Friedman pondered in August if the Blackhawks might be looking at extending Knight because he would have been a free agent after this season. They had also just signed forward Frank Nazar to a seven-year extension, so thinking of Knight next was plausible.
The Hawks have done a good job getting aggressive with locking players in while they are on the upswing. Including Nazar and then defenseman Alex Vlasic’s six-year extension in 2024. It can only benefit their rebuild to allow these players to continue improving with the added security in place. To top it off, Knight’s $5.83 million AAV seems fair, considering he could end up outperforming that number. With the price of goaltenders only increasing, this deal could end up being a steal in more ways than one. He has 95 games of NHL experience with a career 2.83 GAA and a .904 SV%, which is more than enough to instill confidence.
Blackhawks Now Secure In Net
The three-year extension for Knight, along with the two-year extension they gave to Söderblom, no doubt makes Chicago feel a lot more comfortable in net than they were before.
Furthermore, there is something to Knight’s demeanor, as he comes across as very intellectual. He said in his exit interview in April, “I learned a lot just from observing people, and I just think I want to bring that here. It’s not something like I think I know everything. I really don’t, and I’m still learning a lot, right? I still think there’s a lot of things that I can do to take steps, and that will come with experience. But I have seen a thing or two in hockey, in life, that I think can serve the team well.”
Heading into training camp, the focus will be on Knight, Söderblom, and Brossoit, but it will be on Knight’s net to take, and this deal proves it. The Blackhawks more than believe in him, and with Knight likely handling the bulk of the starts, the Blackhawks’ crease should be well handled.
Related: Blackhawks Raise Goaltending Bar With Spencer Knight Addition
Davidson continued about Knight, “A talented, young goaltender, he brings athleticism, sound positioning and a calm demeanor to his game, and we’re excited to watch Spencer continue to flourish in Chicago over the next four seasons.”
When Davidson spoke at development camp in July, he said, “I feel very confident and happy with our goaltending situation right now.” With Knight’s extension, that feeling has surely increased tenfold.
With his intellect and talent, as Knight said before, it can only serve the team well.
