Insider Lists Another Key Blackhawks Member As Top Trade Candidate
With a .902 save percentage and 3.21 goals against average despite playing on the second-worst team in the league, one has to feel bad for goaltender Petr Mrazek.
But according to the latest trade board from Daily Faceoff, perhaps Mrazek will be getting a reprieve by the March 8th trade deadline. Frank Seravalli lists the Chicago Blackhawks netminder at #11 on the list of most likely to be traded within the next two months.
The 31-year-old NHL veteran had another fine performance—in another losing effort—for Chicago Tuesday night, falling 2-1 to the Edmonton Oilers. Overall, he's sporting a 10-14-1 record for a team that's 12-27-2. That means the Hawks are 2-13-1 without Mrazek between the pipes. Somehow, he's in the top half of the league in save percentage on a team that really gives him very little help.
The 12-year veteran is an unrestricted free agent at season's end, with a $3.8 million cap hit this year. Seravalli suggests Chicago will need to retain about half of that, making it fairly easy for many contending teams to squeeze him under their cap. As a backup goaltender, it's hard to do better than Mrazek, the way he's playing this season.
In addition, Mrazek's performance in 29 playoff games over the course of his career shows that he can step up when it counts. He holds a .911 Sv% and a 2.43 GAA in those postseason situations.
There are certainly a number of teams in the market for a goalie, including the New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, and potentially the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers. Generally, the three-goalie teams have been on most people's radar when it comes to the goaltending trade market, such as the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames, among others. But don't rule out Mrazek as a viable trade commodity.
Photo: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
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