STAY OR GO - PETR MRAZEK

Nicholas D'Agostino

Another day another dilemma in Leaf land, and this dilemma is circled around Maple Leafs goaltender Petr Mrázek. This past offseason, the Leafs signed Mrázek to a 3-year $11.4 million dollar deal with an average annual salary of $3.8 million. This past year did not go according to plan for both Mrázek and the Leafs as Mrázek spent most of the year hurt and playing poorly.

Through just 20 games in his first year with the Leafs he posted 3.34 goals against average and a .888 save percentage. Mrázek struggled immensely at times during the season and it caused a lot of Leaf fans to speculate about his future here in Toronto. As many know, Toronto is a tough market to play in-especially when you are underperforming to their high standards. Either way, Mrázek did not play nearly as good as he was expected to and the bottom line is he needs to be a better goalie if he wants to stick around in the NHL.

One of the main questions for the Leafs this offseason is goaltending. With Campbell out of a contract and Mrázek underperforming, Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has a lot of work to do this summer to address his goaltending situation.

Many Leaf fans have called for Mrázek to be traded because of his poor play last season, but also because of his 3.8 million dollar salary that counts towards the salary cap. Regardless of what happens with Jack Campbell, the question will inevitably evolve into whether or not Mrázek will stay with the blue and white?

I personally believe that Mrázek will be moved this offseason mainly because of his salary. I believe that the Leafs will look to make a massive upgrade in goal and if they are to do that, they would need some money to go out the door. Nevertheless, I think Mrázek is a much better goalie then what he showed last season but for Mrázek it is all about if he can stay healthy enough during the season to play well and have encouraging results. Nonetheless Mrázek might be on his way out of Toronto after only one season and I won’t be surprised if it is relatively soon.

If the Leafs do decide to trade Mrázek there are a couple teams that I think would be a good trade partner with the Leafs.

Chicago Blackhawks

Chigaco could be a destination should the Leafs trade Mrázek as Chigaco is looking to rebuild/retool and they could use a goalie during these middle years where they are not as competitive.

Currently, both their goalies from last season are UFA’s and if they were to trade for Mrázek they would get a goalie with a reasonable contract for a rebuilding team. Also, since the Leafs might be desperate to trade Mrázek they might need to add in a sweetener that would entice Chicago to take Mrázek.

Arizona Coyotes

Arizona could also be an interesting trading partner for the Leafs. We have already seen a similar deal this past season with the Nick Ritchie trade. If a deal were to happen it would be for the same reason as Arizona has a ton of cap space and they won’t be a very good team for at least a couple of years.

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey might be a potential trade suitor for Petr Mrázek. The Devil's finished 7th in the Metro last season and while they are on the come up they aren’t an established contending team just yet. Between the pipes they only have Mackenzie Blackwood signed for next season and because he is a young goalie they could use a veteran netminder like Mrázek to help mentor Blackwood. Let’s also remember that Mrázek can be a serviceable goalie in the NHL and if he can stay healthy, can be a real asset to any hockey team. If a trade were to happen between the Leafs and Devils, the Leafs would probably have to sweeten the pot for New Jersey to accept any deal.