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Petr Mrazek will be the Chicago Blackhawks stop-gap in goal

By Vincent Parise

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 23: Petr Mrazek #35 of the Toronto Maple Leafs watches for a rebound against the New Jersey Devils during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 23, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Devils 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 23: Petr Mrazek #35 of the Toronto Maple Leafs watches for a rebound against the New Jersey Devils during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 23, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Devils 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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In the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks were extremely busy. They went into draft week with no picks in the first round but they ended up with three. One of the best ones they made was the deal that landed them Petr Mrazek.

They turned their second-round pick into a first-round pick by simply taking on Petr Mrazek’s contract. The Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to make an upgrade to both their starter and their backup so they made this move.

Mrazek had a good record in 2021-22 as he went 12-6-0 which is outstanding for a backup. However, it seems to be a result of being on a good team as his numbers weren’t great. He only had a .888 save percentage with a 3.34 goals against average. The stats don’t match the record.

He probably won’t improve much in terms of his numbers with the Chicago Blackhawks but his record surely will. The Leafs are no prize defensively but they are significantly better than the Hawks right now.

Petr Mrazek coming to the Chicago Blackhawks will really help them.

The good news is that the play of Mrazek does not matter. All he needs to do is play the games and he will be doing his job for the Hawks. They just need him to eat the minutes so that they can work on their next franchise goalie.

Having Arvid Soderblom and Drew Commesso in the system is exciting but seeing them play in the NHL is not a good idea this year. They signed Alex Stalock to be the backup for Mrazek which is the perfect duo for a team that is clearly (they won’t ever say it) tanking.

In the eyes of the front office, the more goals that Mrazek allows, the better it is for the long-term plan of the Blackhawks. They have their eyes on the 2023 NHL Draft which is loaded with incredible talent at the top.

If the Hawks are bad enough, and all signs point to that being the case, they will be getting a really good player with their first-round pick next year. For that reason, the addition of Petr Mrazek (and getting a first-round pick for their trouble) will make for a perfect stop-gap.

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