NHL trade rumors: Flyers eyeing Petr Mrazek

The Philadelphia Flyers’ goaltender situation is looking shaky, so they’re quickly turning to the trade market.

The Philadelphia Flyers are battling for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference right now, with a 30-19-10 record (70 points). But recent injuries to Brian Elliott (core muscle surgery) and Michal Neuvirth (lower body) have left things thin between the pipes, and according to TSN’s Darren Dreger the Flyers are having ongoing discussions with the Detroit Red Wings about Petr Mrazek.

Elliott was in the midst of a pretty good run before going down, with a 15-5-1 record, a .912 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against-average over his 22 games since Dec. 4 (21 full games). Neuvirth picked up the slack nicely with a .928 save percentage over three-plus games, and rookie Alex Lyon stepped in with 25 saves on 26 shots against the New York Rangers on Sunday.

Mrazek has appeared in 22 games (18 starts) for the Red Wings this season, with an 8-7-3 record, a 2.89 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. He has been better over his last 10 games (nine starts), with a .935 save percentage and two shutouts, in a spat of good timing for Detroit as the trade deadline nears.

Neuvirth’s status will go a long way to determining how deep the Flyers to go into the trade market for a goalie. Elliott is out of the picture for another 4-5 weeks regardless, and potential trade target Robin Lehner of the Buffalo Sabres is day-to-day with a lower body injury of his own.

Right after Elliott’s injury a little over a week ago, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, the Flyers offered the Red Wings a third-round pick for Mrazek. That offer was declined, and Neuvirth’s injury on Sunday has now removed a bit of leverage for the Flyers as talks are apparently ramping back up.

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His recent sample of good work not withstanding, Mrazek does not represent a great upgrade in goal for Philadelphia. Even narrowing in strictly on the Red Wings as a potential trade partner, Jimmy Howard comes with playoff experience and a reasonable $4.25 million salary for 2018-19.