CHICAGO — Not a lot has gone right for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, but the one player they knew they could rely on almost every game was goalie Petr Mrázek. Start after start, he kept them in games.
And now, the Blackhawks won’t even be able to fall back on the 32-year-old Mrázek as they adjust to a recent coaching change. Mrázek left Saturday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets after making an awkward save along the post in the second period and did not return. Blackhawks interim coach Anders Sorensen said afterward that Mrázek would be “out for a little bit” due to a lower-body injury.
The injury occurred during a sequence in the second period when Mrázek made an initial save against the right post, spun to his right to follow the puck, had his left leg taken out by Jets forward Mason Appleton, and fell backward. As he righted himself, Mrázek appeared to know something was wrong immediately and alerted an official. He then skated off the ice under his own power.
“I don’t actually know even myself,” Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno said after the 4-2 loss. “Hopefully it’s not too serious. It’s never fun when you see your goalie pull himself out of the game like that. Obviously, something’s bugging him.”
Mrázek has a history of groin injuries but has remained healthy for much of the last few seasons. He had one of his best seasons in some time last year with a .908 save percentage in 56 games. He was off to an even better start this season until a few recent tough games. For the season, he has a .906 save percentage in 20 games. His consistency could be measured by the 11 quality starts, according to Hockey Reference’s goalie metrics.
Before Mrázek’s injury, the Blackhawks were already down one goalie with Laurent Brossoit missing the entire season so far with a knee injury. Brossoit, who was signed in the offseason to be Mrázek’s backup, underwent a second surgery on his right knee in late November and was expected to be re-evaluated in six weeks.
Arvid Söderblom will now carry the net load for the Blackhawks. He replaced Mrázek in the second period Sunday, making his eighth appearance this season. He has a .915 save percentage this season.
The 25-year-old Söderblom was expected to play in the AHL this season after a rocky NHL performance last year. He needs to play in just two more games to no longer be waiver-exempt, which will likely cause another headache for Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson in the future. Brossoit and Mrázek are signed through the 2025-26 season, and Davidson will also likely want to re-sign Söderblom after this season as he’ll be a restricted free agent. That’s a concern for down the line, though.
The Blackhawks will likely recall goalie prospect Drew Commesso from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL. Commesso was recently called up when Mrázek wasn’t with the team due to a personal matter. Commesso has not played any NHL games during his two pro seasons. He has an .879 save percentage in 10 games with the IceHogs this season.
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(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
