About Last Season: Petr Mrazek Performance Review and Grade

Petr Mrazek: 2018-2019 By The Numbers

• Age: 27
• NHL Seasons: 8
• Games Played: 40
• Record: 23-14-3
• Key Statistics: 2.39 GAA, .914 save percentage, four shutouts

Making The Grade

Petr Mrazek was coming off the worst season of his career in which he was tossed around from the Detroit Red Wings to the Philadelphia Flyers. Once the Red Wings were forced to continue their commitment to Jimmy Howard after he wasn’t selected in the 2017 expansion draft by Vegas, Mrazek was the odd man out. After the move to Philadelphia, Mrazek’s numbers tanked and his save percentage dipped below .900 for the first time in his career. The Czech goalie was seen as dispensable and was left without a contract.

Enter the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes swooped in and offered a low-cost, one-year prove it deal to Mrazek in free agency and it paid dividends for the both the player and the team. Mrazek proved to be a reliable goaltender down the stretch, catapulting the Hurricanes into the playoff picture and stealing games at points in February and March.

Mrazek became somewhat of the heart and soul of the team in the second half of the season, between animated reactions to the saves he made and his infamous, emotional “WE’RE IN!” when the Hurricanes clinched a playoff spot. He was often relied on by coach Rod Brind’Amour in big game situations instead of rolling with Curtis McElhinney.

While his playoff performance against the Boston Bruins wasn’t strong, it may be in part to never fully healing the injury he sustained in Game 2 against the New York Islanders. He was a crucial part of the Hurricanes resurgence and can be attributed for stealing points in the standings on some nights.

Mrazek heads into the offseason with an uncertain future. He’s an unrestricted free agent in a top-heavy free agent goalie class. While he will not receive Sergei Bobrovsky money, Mrazek is due for a raise. It seems likely that the Hurricanes will attempt to reach a multi-year agreement with Mrazek and not let him walk. Mrazek could serve as a suitable stop-gap between the Hurricanes finding their next franchise goalie.

Exit Interview