The Leafs may have an opportunity to move Mrazek
Look, I don't need to spell out how bad the Petr Mrazek experience in Toronto has been. The erratic Leafs goaltender is signed for 2 more seasons at $3.8 million against the cap and it seems like the Leafs management, Sheldon Keefe in particular, is done with him.
The problem with that is the Leafs now have $3.8 million dollars in cap space being taken up by a goalie who hasn't lived up to his equipment expenses, let alone his pay cheque. At this point, what team would be desperate enough to take on Petr Mrazek? There was reported interest in him before his most recent stretch of abysmal play, but that has to have cooled off in recent weeks.
One team may still have a use for Mrazek though, and it's an unlikely one at that. The Vegas Golden Knights gave away their Vezina winning goaltender, Marc Andre Fleury, in favour of Robin Lehner this past off-season. Lehner hasn't played since March 8th due to an injury, and from the sounds of it, he may not be back until the playoffs start.
This is a huge problem for the Golden Knights. The team from Vegas has truly gone all in this season, but they won't make the playoffs at this rate unless they can find an improvement on Laurent Brossoit's brutal .890 save % since December 1st. Mrazek gives them another option besides throwing rookies to the wolves in Lehner's absence. They've dropped their last 5 games, the longest losing streak in franchise history.
Now, of course the Leafs will want something in return. Vegas has some draft picks the Leafs could use as trade chips to add at the deadline, or they could pick up someone like Reilly Smith. Smith is currently injured, but he could be an excellent addition to the Leafs' top-6. His $5M cap hit comes off the books after this season and Vegas won't be able to re-sign him. If the cost is only Petr Mrazek, the Leafs could pick him up and still have draft picks and some cap space left to bolster their defense.
It's an interesting situation. Vegas will have to dismantle much of their roster this off season to be cap compliant, so this is their only shot. If they can get to the playoffs, Lehner may be able to step back into the net, but if they don't make it, they've wasted a massive opportunity to go on a deep run in a thin Western Conference. As of now, they are clinging to a wildcard spot with a surging Vancouver Canucks team bearing down on them. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon is no stranger to aggressive moves. A trade for Mrazek right now would certainly fall under that category.
If anything, Dubas should at the very least be touching base with the Knights. If they are desperate enough, and they may well be, it could be a massive win for the Leafs.
| POLL | ||
MARS 18 | 603 ANSWERS The Leafs may have an opportunity to move Mrazek Should the Leafs try to swing a deal with Vegas to move Mrazek? | ||
| Of course! That's a no-brainer | 411 | 68.2 % |
| I think he can turn it around | 31 | 5.1 % |
| They'll move him, but not to Vegas | 85 | 14.1 % |
| If they can't trade him, they'll buy him out | 76 | 12.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
