I’d actually love this and I think it’s a sneaky underrated target. He was great last year and looks super solid again this year. With Soderblom showing well and Brossoit coming back eventually, I feel like a deal could be made here, if the Hawks are willing to retain some.
Mrazek isn’t glamorous but he’s a far superior goalie right now than the likes of Blackwood, Husso, Kuemper, Jarry, Grubauer, Vejmelka, Korpisalo, Merzlikins, probably even Gibson. The only guy I like better from a pure performance standpoint and would be more of a long-term solution is Montembeault and Gustavsson but they would cost more. But for two years? Mrazek is a great solution. He’s a legit veteran starter, with legit veteran starter experience. He’s not just another shot in the dark “head case but upside” guy who has played more than 40 games once in 5 years or melts down consistently in the second half.
People keep throwing out names that either have prohibitive contracts or aren’t any more of a sure thing as a starter than what the Avs already have. A guy like Mrazek threads the needle nicely and a two-year timeline syncs nicely with Nabokov.
Mrazek hits a lot of the right notes here…current performance for the last year and more, experience as a true starter, contract length and potential availability.