The Blackhawks will aggressively try to find a new home for goaltender Petr Mrázek this week, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. It’ll be difficult given a limited goalie market this season, but it’s no surprise they want to clear the veteran from their books after acquiring 2019 first-rounder Spencer Knight in last weekend’s blockbuster deal with the Panthers.
Mrázek was scratched for Knight’s stellar Chicago debut last night, with 25-year-old Arvid Söderblom serving as the backup instead. For the season as a whole, Mrázek has an underwhelming 3.46 GAA over 33 games, with a .890 SV% and similarly below-average numbers across the board – with the glaring exception of his .788 high-danger SV% that ranks 21st out of 55 qualified goalies, per MoneyPuck.
His dip from last season’s admirable showing in a career-high 56 appearances behind a lottery-bound Blackhawks defense only adds more fuel to Mrázek’s reputation as an inconsistent fringe starter option. Add in the fact he signed through next season at a $4.25MM cap hit and Chicago doesn’t have any open salary retention spots until the summer, and it’s clear they’ll likely need to wait to clear up their goalie logjam until after July 1 despite their best efforts to do so now.
There’s always the option to incorporate a third team into trade talks to retain the salary that the Blackhawks can’t. Still, with how quiet the goalie market is, it’s doubtful that interested parties would be willing to go through the trouble of such a complicated transaction with more significant needs to address. Only two starter/tandem options had been moved this season before Knight, and it was Mackenzie Blackwood heading from San Jose to Colorado with Alexandar Georgiev coming the other way. Anaheim’s John Gibson is Mrázek’s only other company on The Athletic’s latest trade board, and the only contenders needing netminding help (i.e. the Oilers) can’t afford either without damaging their ability to add elsewhere.
Mrazek, Reichel, Crevier, For Wright, And Sprong.
@usakesler. I’ll raise you. Gibson for mcdavid, and Draisaitl. It helps the Oilers cap situation why not.
Mrazek for Jarry !! One for one !!
It will never happen now, but I was hoping Mrazek would play as well this year as last, and that the Maple Leafs would be desperate for a goalie and have to send the Hawks another first to get Mrazek back. Alas, what could have been.