Taking a Look at the Blackhawks Sticky Goaltending Situation For This Upcoming Season
The Hawks goaltending fell downhill after Marc Andre Fleury was traded at the deadline. After Flower was traded, Chicago was left with Kevin Lankinen and Colin Delia, which wasn't very good. It's not going to get any better, or maybe get even worse this season, with Petr Mrazek and Alex Stalock behind the pipes.
The Hawks signed Alex Stalock, a former Shark, to a 1 year $750,000 contract this offseason. Stalock is 35 years old and has played one game in his career. Stalock wasn't impressive, took a L, and has a GAA of 7.82 and a SV% of .786.
Petr Mrazek was acquired in a trade in this year's NHL Entry Draft. The Hawks traded a 2nd round pick to the Leafs and the Hawks received a 1st round pick; they selected defenseman Sam Rinzel and Petr Mrazek. It sounds like a lopsided trade, but the Leafs got an unwanted and outrageous contract off their hands.
How do the Hawks fix this? Well, Stalock is a rental and probably only for this season. He may get shipped off at the deadline. Mrazek on the other hand has two years left on his deal. What do they do? They focus on getting Connor Bedard this year and goaltending next year. Mrazek will end up remaining starting goaltender for this year, and you'll probably see a new face between the pipes if the Blackhawks want to spend a little bit more money next year, with Mrazek being backup goalie for the remainder of the contract, if they can't fish a trade for him.
