The Chicago Blackhawks Need Petr Mrazek To Play Well Again

The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the NHL yet again in 2023-24. Connor Bedard lived up to all the hype of being a star teenage player, but it wasn’t enough to keep the team out of the league’s basement.

The team finished second in terms of points, behind only the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks won the first lottery, and the Hawks won the second.

If it weren’t for Petr Mrazek in net for Chicago, they would have finished much lower than they did. He helped keep them in more games than they deserved.

Mrazek helped them in other ways besides just helping them win a tad bit more than they should have. Having a goalie that you can trust makes it easier for a skater to play his game. For the young players in the lineup, that is incredibly important.

The Chicago Blackhawks need more of that from Petr Mrazek in 2024-25. Turning the corner as an organization is a goal of theirs and they will need good goaltending for that to be the case.

Mrazek masking some of the mistakes made by the young forwards or defensemen will help them avoid losing their confidence on a nightly basis. If the goalie isn’t playing well, it may amplify some of the other mistakes made on the ice by the skaters.

He can also help the younger goalies within the organization. Laurent Brossoit is going to be the backup to start the season but if Mrazek doesn’t play well, they may force a younger player to have to come up to the NHL.

On what looks like a lower-end NHL team, being a young goalie trying to develop would be very hard. It can be a confidence destroyer to be there and be beaten over and over again.

Young guys like Drew Commesso, Arvid Soderblom, and Adam Gajan amongst others need more time to develop. The veterans in the NHL are there to keep these guys from being put in a tough position. Having prospects in a position to succeed is vital to their growth as players.

Mrazek playing well can help this organization in more ways than one. It is pivotal that his 2024-25 season is reminiscent of his 2023-24 year.