Once again Petr Mrazek made the case that he is ready to be
an NHL starting net minder as the Detroit Red Wings trounced the Pittsburgh
Penguins 5-1 Sunday afternoon. Mrazek improves his record to 14-5-1 after amassing many starts in January and February when Jimmy Howard
went down with a groin injury and Jonas Gustavsson was out with a dislocated
shoulder.
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| Courtesy of: Edmonton Journal |
The 23-year-old Czech picked 141st overall in the
2010 draft has a.914 save percentage and a 2.47 goals against average. With
such impressive numbers it is getting increasingly difficult to view Mrazek as
a minor-league backup called up to the NHL in times of need. In the game
against Pittsburgh it was obvious that Mrazek was confident in himself, leaving
the crease to play the puck to teammates and not letting opponents trying to crowd
the net intimidate him. The hit that he took from Patric Hornqvist could have
easily shaken him but instead Mrazek stayed in to get the win and earn a .977
save percentage for the game.
It appears that the Red Wings’ have a predicament on their
hands: with three NHL-calibre goaltenders in the system, who stays? While Coach
Mike Babcock has made it clear that his team’s struggles cannot be placed
solely on Jimmy Howard’s shoulders, his play can nonetheless be described as hot
and cold at times. Jonas Gustavsson has experience at the NHL level and is a
capable backup goalie, but with the arrival of Mrazek is he now seen as
eventual trade bait? Can Mrazek take the top job from Howard given his success this
season? Will Mrazek be traded to a team that is looking for a goalie?
So many questions but one thing is for sure- Petr Mrazek’s
play demands attention and the goalie situation in Detroit is sure to be
interesting.
