What a difference health makes in the NHL. Chicago Blackhawks fans and starting goalie Petr Mrazek have found out first hand. Petr Mrazek [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA1MzUwOTM0NzQ4OTk3MTE4/usatsi_22891210_168401008_lowres.jpg] Petr Mrazek Mrazek has had a strong, resurgent season after overcoming a frustrating core injury that hindered his skating and movement for two years. The 32-year-old Czech has given the 31st place Blackhawks every chance to win, even with a young, rebuilding and often depleted team skating in front of him. Mrazek was acquired in July 2022 from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a salary cap dump. At times he looked awful for Toronto in 2021-22 as he missed big gaps of time after signing a three-year, $11.4 contract with the Leafs in July 2021. But it couldn't have turned out better for the Blackhawks. Chicago got a starting goalie who is now healthy and playing as well as ever in his 12-year career. BONUS IN DEAL WITH LEAFS Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson also picked up a third first-round draft pick in 2022 from Toronto in exchange for shipping a second-round selection to the Leafs. After moving up 13 draft spots, the Blackhawks took defensemen Sam Rinzel with the 25th overall pick that season. That was after selecting D-man Kevin Korchinski seventh and speedy center Frank Nazar III 13th. Rinzel, who just finished a solid freshman season at the University of Minnesota, is rated as the No. 4 prospect overall in Chicago's system by scouts in THN's 2024 Future Watch. MRAZEK A DIFFERENCE-MAKER The most recent example of Mrazek's great play this season came in a 3-2 win over the powerhouse Dallas Stars on Saturday. It was not an easy game for Mrazek, who had to make 42 saves, a lot of which were tough. Head coach Luke Richardson talks about Petr Mrazek's play and demeanor in games. Mrazek has made a habit of holding the Blackhawks in games. He has started a career-high 50 contests and played in 53 this season, posting a record of 18-28-4, but those numbers don't tell the full story. Mrazek's goal-against average is 3.01, but he has faced both a high quantity of shots and lots of high-quality chances The Blackhawks' allow 32.6 shots against per game, sixth highest in the NHL. Mrazek's save percentage this season is .908, which is much higher than the league average of .899% This tells us that he keeps the Blackhawks in the games he starts, and that's a reason why 18 of Chicago's 23 wins this season have come when the veteran has started. There have been a lot of games where the Blackhawks were just outplayed in every aspect, and that's a reason for Mrazek's quality start percentage of .480. But on the other end, Hockey Reference [https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/mrazepe01.html] only counts six really bad starts for Mrazek. Mrazek holds off Calgary in a 3-1 win. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA1MzA1NzQ2ODYxMTM5NDU0/usatsi_22875179_168401008_lowres.jpg] Mrazek holds off Calgary in a 3-1 win. So in the games where Mrazek has had to be good, he has been really good. He has a 1.9 goals saved above expected and a 7.2 goals saved above average. On teams that aren't good, these are typically a lot lower and in the negative value. At five-on-five, Mrazek has been especially solid with a .919 save percentage this season. Even while shorthanded, he has posted a .846 and kept Chicago out of the bottom-10 in penalty kill percentage. Mrazek has more than earned the contract extension he signed in January for more money than he earns per year on his current deal. The Blackhawks are very comfortable with the veteran holding down the crease to allow for the next wave of goaltending to develop. Mrazek has an upbeat, high-energy presence and communicates well with teammates on the ice, coach Luke Richardson often points out. If he remains healthy, his numbers should remain this good. RECENT BLACKHAWKS NEWS Connor Bedard Praised By Calder Competitor Brock Faber: "He's A Superstar." [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news/connor-bedard-praised-by-calder-competitor-brock-faber-hes-a-superstar] Blackhawks Send Top Defenseman Prospect Wyatt Kaiser Back To AHL Rockford [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news/blackhawks-send-top-defenseman-prospect-wyatt-kaiser-back-to-ahl-rockford] Connor Bedard Sets Another Blackhawks Rookie Scoring Record [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news/connor-bedard-sets-another-blackhawks-rookie-scoring-record] Calder Collision: Connor Bedard On Short End Of Head-To-Head With Brock Faber and Marco Rossi [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/game-day/calder-collision-connor-bedard-on-short-end-of-head-to-head-with-brock-faber-and-marco-rossi]
