New Jersey Devils Should Take On Petr Mrazek For A Price

The New Jersey Devils are still in a goaltender conundrum this season despite the stellar play of rookie Nico Daws over the last few weeks. The 21-year-old Daws has solidified a position that basically ruined the Devils season. However, there’s one major problem here. Daws is still super raw, he’s playing average and we’re all okay with that because he’s the first player to do that all season.

The Devils still have Jon Gillies as the team’s backup, and Lindy Ruff does not trust him clearly. The Devils haven’t played him since February 25th. He allowed six goals in two straight games, and now he is strictly there in an emergency situation. The Devils cannot put Gillies in net if they want any chance to win. At one point, Gillies had a chance to be an NHL goalie, but it was all short lived.

The Devils have a lot of back-to-backs coming up. They aren’t really playing for anything, but they still want to win games. It will be good for the young core if they get some wins under their belt. Lindy Ruff is coaching for his job, so we know he’s going to do everything he can to right the ship. That probably means getting a second goaltender if Mackenzie Blackwood can’t come in a timely fashion from his heel injury.

The Devils might have seen their chance to get a backup and help an Eastern Conference team as they try to fix their goalie woes. The Devils and Maple Leafs have been tied in passing to a possible Blackwood trade, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense. He is still their best bet when it comes to a goaltender who can contend. He has a ton of skill, as does Daws. It would be better for the Devils to have two options.

Speaking of two options, the Devils could use a second option right now. Even if Blackwood does come back, the Devils might want to give him as much time as possible to come back. Having a true backup could help that.

This is where Petr Mrazek steps in. The Toronto Maple Leafs are having trouble trusting their goalies going into the playoffs. The only issue is they really don’t have the cap space to upgrade the position. They have 91,000 in cap space according to CapFriendly. Of course, there is some hoops they could jump through to make some more cap space available, but it’s just easier to drop a piece.

Mrazek is having a rough season, and the Maple Leafs lost their backup plan in Jack Campbell. They need a goalie in the worst way and they have no money to make it happen. The Devils could help the Leafs out by taking Mrazek, and that could also solve their own problem. He lost the Heritage Classic for the Leafs against the Buffalo Sabres. With the Boston Bruins coming fast on the backs of the Leafs to try to pass them in the standings, they need a reliable netminder. The Devils should be racing to be the third team in a three-team trade to make a deal work. It would net the Devils a pick, and they could use that pick in a bigger trade later.

Mrazek is making $3.8 million for two more seasons. They will be desperate to get out of the Mrazek business. He’s just 30 years old, and this is by far his worst season. Getting Mrazek allows the Devils to relinquish themselves from Jonathan Bernier, who is coming off a major hip injury. It’s sad to say since Bernier is working hard to return, but it isn’t smart for the Devils to take a chance on Bernier’s hip. It’s better to take a chance on a Mrazek bounce-back season.

The Devils would need something significant to save the Leafs right now. They are taking a considerable risk on this. They should be compensated for that risk. If they aren’t, the deal isn’t worth it.