Maple Leafs trade Petr Mrazek to Blackhawks in salary dump

MONTREAL — Getting out from under Petr Mrazek’s albatross contract wound up costing Kyle Dubas just over a dozen spots at the NHL draft.

The Toronto Maple Leafs general manager traded the under-performing goaltender and the 25th pick to the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday for the 38th selection.

The move gives the team more salary cap flexibility to address its unsettled crease and closed the book on a free-agent signing that fell flat.

Toronto inked Mrazek to a three-year, US$11.4-million contract last summer in hopes he would split time with Jack Campbell.

Injuries and poor play, however, is how the Czech netminder’s tenure with the Leafs will largely be remembered.

“We hope every signing we make is going to work out optimally,” Dubas told reporters at the Bell Centre following the first round of the draft.

“But not all of them do.”

Mrazek, who carries a cap hit of $3.8 million, was 12-6-0 with a sub-par .888 save percentage and 3.34 goals-against average in 2021-22.

The 30-year-old suffered a groin injury in his first start with Toronto, and then pulled the same muscle twice more as the season progressed.

“Injury, I think, derailed him more than anything,” Dubas said. “It’s tough for a goaltender — especially in a new place, a new city, new team — to get their legs under them when injury is prevailing.”

Toronto could have an entirely new crease combination next season with Campbell poised to hit unrestricted free agency next week.

There was other movement in the goalie market Thursday as the Colorado Avalanche acquired Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild re-signed Marc-Andre Fleury.

“It opens up a lot for us,” Dubas said of the Mrazek trade. “You see with the trades (Thursday) and the signings today that the number of chairs are starting to go by the wayside.

“Our situation would be enticing for any goaltender.”

Campbell, Darcy Kuemper and Ville Husso sit as the biggest names on a shrinking list of potential free-agent options. The Edmonton Oilers also cleared money off their wage bill Thursday by dealing winger Zack Kassian’s $3.5-million salary to the Arizona Coyotes as they also to get clarity on their goaltending situation.

“We just want to make ourselves as flexible as possible, create the cap space for ourselves and proceed,” Dubas said. “Obviously don’t want to move back in the draft, but our analysis of it was that it was a good move versus what we were asking (Chicago) to do.

“And that’s what we did.”

Dubas said the Leafs felt they would be able to draft a similar player with the 38th pick compared what they would have got at No. 25.

“We feel good about that now, especially that the picks have come off the board between 25 and 32,” Dubas said. “It’s a big ask of the amateur scouting staff.”

The GM, who currently has selections No. 38, 79 and 218 when the draft resumes Friday with rounds two through seven, added he has confidence in the goaltenders currently under contract, including Erik Kallgren and Joseph Woll.

But Dubas conceded it’s likely the Leafs will once again head into next season with a combination approach to its goalies.

“Like every team, we’d love to have the definitive No. 1,” he said. “But our goal would be to have the best tandem we possibly can.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2022.

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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press