Will Mrazek Help The Flyers?

The Flyers are in a mess with their goalie situation. With Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth currently out due to injury, they decided to get ahead of the trade deadline and go out to get a goalie they can count until they get back.

On Monday, the injured-goalie-tandem Flyers went out and got goalie Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the upcoming 2018 draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

According to GM Ron Hextall, he's proud to have Mrazek on the team and that he's hoping that he can hold the fort until Elliott gets back from injury. According to the latest injury report out of Philadelphia, Elliott is scheduled to be back within four weeks. Currently, the Flyers sit at third in the Metropolitan Division and questions have always been asked as to whether Philly should go for it or continue building their team.

Hextall has said all along that he's all about the future and he's not about sacrificing to get into the playoffs now, which is basically the same thing I can say about GM George McPhee of the Vegas Golden Knights. In this case, however, Philly should not have to sacrifice a lot to get into the playoffs and to get people they believe can get them there.

Right now, Mrazek is 8-7-3 with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 22 games games this season. He made 18 starts out of those 22 games.

Mrazek is no doubt going to be the starter going forward, at least until one of their current two goalies gets back. Neuvirth is out 4-6 weeks after sustaining a lower-body injury in a game against the Rangers on Sunday. Elliott, meanwhile, had surgery to repair a muscle and will continue to be out another couple of weeks. It's all on Mrazek now and I'm skeptical about whether or not he can pull this team over the top.

Alex Lyon, who replaced Neuvirth on Sunday, is not ready. Yes, he did have a nice win and you would've expected him to get the starts in their perhaps for the next couple of weeks. He's not ready, and Hextall knew he wasn't ready and Mrazek is a better goalie right now than Lyon. That's just the facts here. I don't know if Mrazek is as good as both of the tandem goalies they had, but he was on the market and the Flyers are looking for help that's at a bargain price.

Mrazek should feel good about going to a team that he can help get into the playoffs. With Jimmy Howard solidifying that position in Detroit, it was best for Mrazek to go to a team that he can help now. That's Philadelphia. They're looking for goalie help, Mrazek can be the guy, and I think it'll pay dividends until Elliott gets back.

Currently, the Flyers are trying to make it in, and it's also clear that they're not going to sacrifice the future to get into the playoffs. But any small player that can make a difference, you should go after it.

We'll see if Mrazek can hold down the fort. He's got a tall order ahead of them, and he's going to be the guy that's going to have to rally this Philly team to stay in it.