Hurricanes: Petr Mrazek Should Yield Starting Job to James Reimer

Petr Mrazek is getting outplayed by his backup, James Reimer, as of late and should abdicate his title as the Carolina Hurricanes starting goaltender.

The king is dead. Long live the king. Last season saw Petr Mrazek, backed up by Curtis McElhinney, take PNC by storm as the arena chanted his name night after night as he led the Carolina Hurricanes to their first playoff berth in exactly one decade. It has been a while since those chants have echoed through rink as King Petr may have fallen and given way for another to rule.

Right now James Reimer is the better of the two netminders and there is no denying it. Sure, the loss last night against the Blues was a total team loss with Mrazek consistently finding himself under heavy fire and no one seemingly interested in covering their forwards. However there is also no denying that better rebound control would have kept the game manageable and perhaps, winnable.

But let me get something out of the way. This article is in no way saying that Petr Mrazek is a bad goaltender. Sure, his recent numbers are not the greatest when you look at them in a vacuum, however across the league he is still a top ten goalie in goals saved above expectation among starters. This is the average expectation that a goalie can make a save based on the quality of the shot.

That puts Mrazek at just under the amount of saves he is expected to make on average based on what the defense is allowing him to see. And this defense is allowing all sorts of quality shots. Take a look at this:

See how Carolina is sitting at the bottom of that chart and seemingly several miles away from everyone else? That is how bad the defense is in allowing quality shots on goal. That is historically bad. Carolina Hurricanes netminders are constantly finding themselves needing to make incredible saves to keep the puck out of the net.

That comes from a defense that consistently finds itself on the wrong side of the puck and allows for opposing teams to attack the net unopposed. That cannot continue to happen if the Hurricanes are serious about making the playoffs.

That all said, I still believe that James Reimer has earned the opportunity to step into the starting role over Petr Mrazek. Right now, not only are his numbers better than Petr Mrazek, but his starts are the only reason that this team is still within reach and not out of the playoff race. But more importantly, he is currently carrying this tandem.

More from Cardiac Cane

• 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

Among NHL tandems the Carolina Hurricanes are actually sixth in the league in goals saved above expectation. SIXTH. If the defense can actually show up an play as well is it should these two should be getting shutouts every other game. But look at James Reimer GSAE. Among all goalies in the league he is sitting fifth. IN THE LEAGUE.

There are those who want the Hurricanes go out and pick up another netminder like Robin Lehner. While he has been a name that keeps getting mentioned, he is actually holding back Corey Crawford. To be frank the Carolina Hurricanes have the answer to their netminding issues already on the roster, there is no reason to go out and chase someone else at a cost.

There is something else to mention. The Carolina Hurricanes are expecting for Alex Nedeljkovic to come up next season on the one way portion of his two year deal. There is a very small pool of netminders who are pending UFAs that the Canes can rent to make room for Ned. Lehner may be the only one worth pursuing and even then he may not be available if the Blackhawks feel that they can make a run.

James Reimer’s is 12-6-1 on the season. That may not be much to look at but consider this; in his last 14 games started he is 10-2-1 (that doesn’t add up to 14 because Mrazek took the losing decision against Toronto after the Canes came back with him in net only for him to lose the lead). He is also 0.920 sv% on the season.

I can go on with the analytics but the fact of the matter is, James Reimer is one of the best performing goalies in the league right now and is the better option over Petr Mrazek.

That big statement said, there are two things you have to understand in order to manage your expectations. First and foremost, at almost 32 years of age Reimer is not a work horse and cannot be the guy you play night in and night out. But with 29 games left on the season I would like to see him play more than 15 games, the important games against tougher opponents before the season ends.

The second thing you need to understand is that a goalie can only temper the quality of shots faced, but if the defense keeps leaving their netminder out to dry, it doesn’t matter who you put in net. This team needs to adjust back to a more average level of quality of shots allowed and continue to keep shot numbers against low. Do that with Reimer in net and it’s a win any night.

The next three weeks will tell us if this team has any compete left in it. They get past that and remain in the race and the month of March will be the most important month for the hockey in North Carolina once again. That starts with Rod Brind’amour recognizing that James Reimer gives this team its best shot at putting points in the standings.

Question for CC Readers: Do you think that James Reimer help this team get to the playoffs once again?