The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded goaltender Petr Mrazek and their first-round pick in this year's NHL Draft (25th overall) to the Chicago Blackhawks for a second-round pick (38th overall).
The 30-year-old netminder signed with the Maple Leafs a year ago, inking a three-year, $11.4-million deal with the club as it looked to shore up its goaltending behind No. 1 Jack Campbell.
However, after a strong showing in limited appearances as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes — a .923 save percentage through 12 games in Raleigh in 2020-21 — Mrazek struggled to find his game with the blue and white.
Through 20 total appearances for the Maple Leafs, the veteran posted an .888 save percentage and a 3.34 goals-against average, guiding the team to 12 wins as he worked through an injury-plagued campaign.
With Mrazek now on the move to Chicago, the Maple Leafs free up $3.8 million in cap space as they look to retool their goaltending situation. Toronto currently has only Erik Kallgren under contract in net for next season, with 2021-22 starter Campbell set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 13.
In trading away the 29th-overall pick as part of the deal, the Maple Leafs move out of the first round, their first pick of the 2022 NHL Draft now coming at No. 38. Toronto has made a first-round selection just once in the past four Drafts, selecting Rodion Amirov in 2020.
