While Detroit and Toronto got new goalies, the Blackhawks re-signed backup Steve Passmore on Tuesday.
Terms weren’t announced, but Passmore is coming off the best year of his career: a 8-5-4 record, 2.51 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.
He stood out in clutch situations, probably earning him a slight raise after making $500,000 last season.
General manager Mike Smith’s decision to keep Passmore is a vote of confidence for incumbent starter Jocelyn Thibault. Thibault, 27, reached career highs in victories (33) and games played (67) but slumped in the last two months of the season.
Smith said he doesn’t think the free-agent market is going to turn torrid. “It’s been a cautious process,” he said. “People were predicting guys would be signing for $9 million and $10 million. We aren’t seeing that.”
