Carolina Hurricanes: Way too Early Off-season Outlook
By Conor Power
![DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 11: Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes in goal against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on February 11, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 11: Petr Mrazek #34 of the Carolina Hurricanes in goal against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on February 11, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9d9e8a1feb89460fd4296c116195c36f226c87f580bdfc1cb97f7bb0852103a6.jpg)
Petr Mrazek’s Blooper Reel
I am very grateful for everything Petr Mrazek has done for the franchise. Don’t mistake that, but he’s not someone that can steal a playoff series, and get you deep into the playoffs. He’s a very talented backup goaltender. 100% an NHL goalie, but with the duo the Canes have at the crease, Petr is just the weaker of the two at the crease, and it’s time for an improvement.
This is not to say Petr Mrazek has been bad in Carolina, far from it. He has become a fan favorite and has started to show some of the upside he had when he was drafted by Detroit. Carolina needs someone though who can hold down the fort. Mrazek has a bad habit of coughing up goals on the first shot of a game.
Mrazek hasn’t been a liability in any stretch of the imagination. There’s no hint of anyone saying that. However, he’s being put into a tandem role when he is more of a high-end backup and it’s showing that he is very usable at the NHL level. He’s been good, but he’s not good enough to justify keeping around when there’s such a major market for goaltenders this off-season.
https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1214743791854333952?s=20
There are just so many alternatives available this summer that are just more worthwhile than Mrazek. The premier name being thrown around is Vegas’, Robin Lehner. Among alternatives are Vancouver’s Jacob Markstrom and Washington’s Braden Holtby. All 3 are major improvements on Mrazek, which speaks more about the other 3 than Petr.