Former Leafs goaltender falls to yet another lower-body injury
Some players are unfortunately injury prone and they go their entire career never being able to remain healthy for long stretches. Petr Mrazek, currently on his 5th team in 11 seasons, has found himself on the shelf again with a groin injury. Playing against one of his former teams on Friday night, the Detroit Red Wings, Mrazek did not return following the second intermission after allowing 3 goals on 18 shots. in the first 40 minutes.
At one point in time, Mrazek was tabbed to be the future in goal for the Red Wings. He enjoyed relative success in his first 4 seasons, going 46-30-8 with a 2.29 GAA and a .920 SV% from 2012-13 to 2015-16. He then had a rough finish in Detroit before being dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers. He lasted 17 games in Philadelphia and was subsequently not re-signed after several poor performances knocked them out of contention for the final wild card spot.
He then re-found success with the Carolina Hurricanes, going 50-32-8 with a .911 SV% and a 2.48 GAA between 2018-19 and 2020-21. He suffered a handful of injuries during his time in Carolina, including a thumb injury and an upper-body injury during a playoff series.
After a successful pit stop in Carolina, but one where he couldn't stay healthy enough to want to be kept by the club for the long haul, he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and struggled mightily last season. His 12-6-0 record was overshadowing his .888 SV% and 3.34 GAA and with a chance to take over the goal in Toronto due to Jack Campbell's injury, Mrazek was the next to fall to an ailment - this time a groin injury.
He was traded at the NHL Entry Draft this past summer to the Chicago Blackhawks in an attempt to clear cap space. He was traded alongside a first round pick in the 2022 Draft in exchange for a second round pick in 2022 (Fraser Minten).
