Maple Leafs sign Mrazek to 3-year contract, Andersen goes to Carolina
Posted July 28, 2021 11:41 am.
Last Updated July 28, 2021 3:54 pm.
The Toronto Maple Leafs bolstered their goaltending depth, agreeing to a three-year contract with free-agent goalie Petr Mrazek.
The Maple Leafs will pay Mrazek $3.8 million per season.
The 29-year-old last played for the Carolina Hurricanes appearing in just 12 games in 2020-21 due to injury. He was solid in limited action, however, posting a .923 save percentage and 2.06 goals-against average.
His best season came in 2015-16 with the Detroit Red Wings when Mrazek appeared in 54 games, posting a .921 save percentage and 2.33 GAA with four shutouts.
“It was an easy choice,” Mrazek told Sportsnet’s Luke Fox after the signing became official. “It’s every single night you’re on the radar. I’m excited.”
The Maple Leafs were in the market for a second goalie to replace Freddie Andersen, reportedly leaving Toronto to join Mrazek’s former team in Carolina.
Andersen, who finished with a .896 save percentage in 24 games, struggled mightily this season, eventually losing the starting job to Jack Campbell and missed time with a knee injury.
Andersen played five seasons in Toronto after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks for multiple draft picks in 2016.
Mrazek says he’s eager to share the net with Campbell, who thrived in his first full season with Toronto.
“I don’t know Jack personally,” Mrazek said. “But I heard a lot of great things about him from my previous teammates. I can’t wait to partner with him because the last three seasons in Carolina, I always had great guys with me. We always found a way to be better, how to push [each other] to get better. I’m looking forward to working with him.”
The Maple Leafs also announced a separate trade in which the team acquired defenceman Brennan Menell from the Minnesota Wild for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2022.
Menell, 24, only appeared in five games with the Wild but in 2019-20 led all American Hockey League defensemen with 42 assists and finished second with 47 points to earn First-Team All-Star honours.
The Leafs stayed busy, signing a pair of forwards including Scarborough’s Michael Bunting and Czech forward David Kampf.
Bunting, 25, signed for two years at $950,000 per season. He scored 10 goals and had 13 points in 21 games with the Arizona Coyotes in 2020-21.
Kampf, meanwhile, joins the Leafs on a two-year, $3.5 million contract. The 26-year-old has played out his entire career with the Chicago Blackhawks. Kampf, known for his defensive ability, scored one goal and chipped in 11 assists across 56 games last season.
