He caught for the national team or in Detroit, where hockey remains very popular. But now goalkeeper Petr Mrázek will know even more pressure. He’ll be under microscope in Toronto.
David Rittich signed with Nashville, Josef Kořenář ended up unexpectedly in Arizona, Dan Vladař in Calgary and Vítek Vaněček headed back to Washington via Seattle.
The off-season events in the NHL mixed up with the Czech goalkeepers, but the biggest bomb is Mrázek’s move from Carolina to Toronto.
The 29-year-old left the team, which is more on the fringes of interest overseas, and signed a contract with the second most valuable hockey club on the planet. If you wanted to buy the Toronto Maple Leafs, you would theoretically need $ 1.5 billion (roughly $ 33 billion). But even more in reality.
Frederik Andersen, the former number one of the Maple Leafs, recently signed for Carolina, where she will relax in the media. He has heard more than once in recent years that he is responsible for Toronto’s failures.
Andersen’s successor was Jack Campbell at the end of last year, the former eleven draft pick, which resurrected an indistinct career just before the age of thirty.
However, Mrázek should get a decent portion of matches next to Campbell. After all, he has about twice the salary. The three-year contract will earn him an average of $ 3.8 million a year. In Detroit, he took a little more, but it’s still a very decent gauge. High enough for fans to expect above-standard performances from Mrázek.
“Last season we realized that we don’t have a solid goalkeeper pair. It was just caught by someone who was just healthy. Mrázek in Carolina showed that he can work in tandem and at the same time be the number one man if he finds out. We think Campbell and I will they do the best possible, “explained Kyle Dubas, Toronto’s general manager, why he brought Mrazek.
Compared to last year, he saved 1.2 million for the goalkeeper duo, which counts in the era of salary caps. The Maple Leafs also tried to catch Darcy Kuemper from Arizona, but Colorado eventually won over; however, he had to sacrifice the young back and the choice in the first and third rounds of the draft.
“At Mrázek, it is advantageous compared to Kuemper that nothing stood except for the place under the ceiling,” wrote Jonas Siegel from The Athletic daily. “But there are also possible downsides – the length of the contract and Mrázek’s problems with balance and health. No one can say how he will cope with the pressure in Toronto and whether (or rather to what extent) his imbalance will manifest itself here.”
Mrázka also “dissected” Mike McKenna, a former NHL goalkeeper and now a television analyst.
“When he got a chance in Carolina, he did well,” he said. “But his career is like on a roller coaster, after a good season he follows below average. He likes to catch aggressively, chase after pucks, but I’m not sure if it fits into the Maple Leafs system. He replaces gaps in technology with his instincts and reading the game. self-confidence is important to him. If he lacks him in an aggressive style of catching, it can lead to long-term imbalance.
Few people see a savior in Mrázek. Someone who will lead the club to the Stanley Cup after 55 years. By the way, no one in the NHL has been waiting for the Silver Cup for so long.
Last year, Rittich, who came from Calgary at the last minute to fill a hole after the injured Andersen, also tried his hand at Toronto. But he was not successful. He didn’t win a few games, so he just covered Campbell’s back in the playoffs.
Michal Neuvirth signed a trial contract with the Maple Leafs two years ago, but as he did not stop the health problems, the club gave up.
At the turn of the 1970s and 1980s, Jiří Crha, the first Czech goalkeeper in the overseas NHL, also played in Toronto. Will Mrázek beat his 69 matches in the Canadian capital in the coming years? And will the ever-waiting Maple Leafs help the Stanley Cup?
The biggest stars of the team are Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner or John Tavares, but Mrázek will also be under pressure. After all, it is the most expensive summer reinforcement in Toronto.
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