Petr Mrazek

Chicago should be better offensively this season compared to 2022-23, but their goaltending could be a huge issue. Mrazek is projected to serve as the team's starting goaltender despite posting a 10-22-3 record, a 3.66 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 39 outings last season. To be fair, the Blackhawks were among the worst teams defensively last year, so Mrazek's poor numbers weren't entirely of his own making, but he still had a rough campaign, and it was his second straight poor showing after he struggled with Toronto in 2021-22. The 31-year-old might finish with a somewhat better record this year because of Chicago's aforementioned offensive boost, but with the team still in its rebuilding phase and Mrazek's recent lackluster play, he could end up near or at the bottom of the league among starters in terms of GAA and save percentage.

Mrazek's lone season in Toronto in 2021-22 was a disaster. Playing for one of the most talented teams in the league, the veteran goaltender posted a 12-6-0 record, which was fine, although his 3.34 GAA and .888 save percentage were horrible. The Leafs dumped Mrazek and the entirety of his contract ($3.8 million for each of the next two years) on the Blackhawks at the draft. The 30-year-old goaltender should be considered the favorite to serve as Chicago's starter in 2022-23, but Mrazek's injury history combined with the fact he will be playing for one of the worst teams in the league wipes out whatever fantasy appeal he may have potentially had.

Mrazek had a rollercoaster season in 2020-21. Though the 2.06 GAA and .923 save percentage he recorded are outstanding by goaltender metrics, Mrazek managed only 12 starts over the course of the season due to various ailments - including a 31-game absence while recovering from thumb surgery. That absence led to the 29-year-old being usurped by rookie Alex Nedeljkovic and Mrazek's career as a Hurricane came to an end after signing a three-year, $11.4 million deal with the Maple Leafs in July. While the Czech netminder moves from one strong team to another, he once again faces competition for playing time, now in the form of Jack Campbell. Fantasy managers willing to chance that the journeyman netminder can outduel Campbell for the lion's share of the workload could find Mrazek as a bargain, but he appears poised to be in another timeshare which limits his fantasy upside.

Mrazek once again served as Carolina's No. 1 netminder last season, but he was unimpressive at best, posting a 21-16-2 record with a 2.69 GAA, .905 save percentage and three shutouts in 40 appearances a year after picking up 23 wins and four shutouts while registering a 2.39 GAA and .914 save percentage in an identical number of appearances. He'll enter the 2020-21 campaign as the starting goalie on a Hurricanes club that has Cup aspirations, but James Reimer will be breathing down his neck, and Mrazek's hold on the job will be tenuous at best. He'll have plenty of upside if he's able to cement himself as Carolina's No. 1 option in net, but virtual managers shouldn't invest anything more than a mid-round pick on Mrazek due to the risk involved with his shaky job security.

Mrazek established himself as Carolina's No. 1 goalie last season, and he should reprise that role to begin the year after inking a two-year extension with the club in the offseason. He'll have to fend off challenges for playing time from trade acquisition James Reimer and prospect Alex Nedeljkovic, but Mrazek has likely bought himself a fairly long leash after posting a 2.39 GAA and .914 save percentage over 40 regular-season appearances in 2018-19. We've seen Mrazek decline precipitously out of nowhere before -- he recorded consecutive seasons with a GAA over 3.00 after notching a tidy 2.33 mark back in 2015-16 -- but such a drop-off is unlikely to happen again with Mrazek insulated by one of the league's deepest defense groups.

Mrazek was unable to bounce back from his disappointing 2016-17, and as a result, he found himself on the trading block in February. Despite a fresh start, he was able to accomplish very little with the Flyers, going 6-6-0 with a .891 save percentage and 3.22 GAA. Overall, Mrazek finished 14-13-6 with a .902 save percentage and 3.03 GAA last season. For 2018-19, he heads to the Hurricanes on a one-year deal. Mrazek will be in competition with Scott Darling, who is coming off his first season as a No. 1 netminder, for the starting role. Both goalies have experienced a lot of success, but each one has also struggled mightily at times. Owners will have to check in on Hurricanes training camp before drafting either Mrazek or Darling.

Mrazek's fresh off a humbling campaign that featured career-worst ratios (a 3.04 GAA and .901 save percentage) over 44 starts and 50 total appearances. The Czech backstop had driven a hard bargain with the Red Wings as a restricted free agent, ultimately settling on a two-year, $8 million contract extension to avoid arbitration. Mrazek was a fantasy liability through the first four months of the season, as he often hovered too far outside the blue paint. Nonetheless, despite moving him to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, the Wings kept the fiery tender busy thanks to Jimmy Howard sustaining a groin injury and then a sprained MCL. The Golden Knights plucked forward prospect Tomas Nosek from the Wings in the expansion draft, leaving Mrazek on the books as a pricey backup with a career record of 64-51-17 to go along with a 2.56 GAA, .913 save percentage and 10 shutouts. Detroit has plenty of youth on the blue line, and neither Howard nor 2017 Calder Cup-winning netminder Jared Coreau figure to go away quietly, so it could be another long year for Mrazek. Draft accordingly.

Mrazek initially looked great in a timeshare with Jimmy Howard last season, having recorded a 24-11-6 record, 2.10 GAA and .927 percentage in his first 43 games … and then March began. Mrazek struggled in the final two months and watched Howard pick up most of the starts heading into the postseason, only to reclaim the job in the first-round series against the Lightning. However, the Red Wings have since promoted goalie boss Jeff Salajko – he coached Mrazek in AHL Grand Rapids between 2013-15 – leaving the Czech primed to take a huge leap forward in the upcoming campaign. To be elite, though, he’s going to need much more help offensively. Last season, the Wings ranked 23rd in the league in goals per game, and the power play was anemic in the playoffs. Expect Howard to get a share of starts if he stays put, but Mrazek is the goalie of the future for the Winged Wheel and thus has major fantasy appeal heading into 2016-17.

Mrazek seized the reins in goal for Detroit last year while Jimmy Howard struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness, earning the nod in the net for every game of Detroit's first-round playoff loss to the Lightning. With a .920 save mark and 2.23 GAA over his 40 games (34 starts) at the NHL level, Mrazek's proven himself to be more than capable, and he enters training camp this year in a battle for playing time with Howard. While Howard's contract and longevity in the Detroit organization are working against him, the young Czech certainly made a statement with his play last year. He should be expected to at the very minimum achieve a timeshare, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Mrazek end up starting about 50 games for the Wings this season. If he does, look out.

Mrazek went 2-4 in nine games with the Wings in 2013-14, but put up a 1.74 goals against average in that span. He also had another stellar season in Grand Rapids, with a 22-9-1 record and 2.10 GAA. He was likely hoping Jonas Gustavsson would not be re-signed so Mrazek would have a shot at the backup spot in Detroit, but that will have to wait at least another year. Barring any major injuries, Mrazek will likely serve in the AHL for the majority of the year.

Mrazek had a good couple games with Detroit in 2012-13, but his most important work came in backstopping the Griffins to the Calder Cup. Mrazek will likely be invited to camp in the fall to compete with Jonas Gustavsson for the backup job and is, in all likelihood, his long-term successor.