Dubas reportedly had the chance to trade Petr Mrazek and turned it down
Despite having a relatively successful summer in 2021 and a solid 2021-22 season, nobody bats 1.000 and Kyle Dubas did make several errors in judgement. The Nick Ritchie contract didn't work out, but he managed to turn it into Ilya Lyubushkin, so bonus points for that one. The Petr Mrazek contract, on the other hand, was bad from the start and will hang over the team another 2 years unless Dubas is able to move him.
Mrazek injured his groin in his first start with the Leafs, then re-injured himself 2 weeks later in his next start. The Czech netminder had a decent run in January, but re-injured himself in March. This left the Leafs without their $3.8 million dollar backup for the entirety of the playoffs. In total, Mrazek started just 18 games for the Leafs. His 12-6-0 record in those games may seem like a strong record, but his disappointing 3.34 GAA and .888 sv% would suggest otherwise. Both are career lows for Mrazek.
The worst part is that Dubas had the chance to move Mrazek, as several teams had interest in the erratic Leafs netminder early in 2022, as reported by Jeff Marek following the embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Sabres in the Heritage Classic on March 13th.
Now, before we light our torches or park our trucks outside Scotiabank Arena, we have to remember that Jack Campbell was injured at this time, as was Joseph Woll. Dealing Mrazek would have left the Leafs with Erik Kallgren and Michael Hutchinson as their two remaining netminders. In retrospect, it probably still would have been the right move. Kallgren proved himself a capable fill in shortly after this report came out and Mrazek's play never reached the standard the Leafs expected of him when they signed him to his 3-year deal.
Whatever interest there may have been for Mrazek during the season has more than likely dried up at this point. What could have been a trade that brought back an asset or two will now probably be a cap dump that costs picks/prospects. At this point, we can only hope that this is a lesson for Dubas to strike while the iron is hot. Hopefully he didn't miss his chance and can find a willing dance partner for Mrazek this summer, otherwise, we could be headed towards a buyout with cap penalty.
