07-03-2025
NHL trade grades: Blackhawks resolve logjam by dealing Petr Mrázek to Red Wings
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NHL trade deadline.
Chicago Blackhawks get: Center Joe Veleno
Detroit Red Wings get: Goaltender Petr Mrázek, center Craig Smith
Mark Lazerus: Petr Mrázek was fabulous last season. Behind one of the worst defenses we've seen in the modern NHL, Mrázek kept the Blackhawks competitive more often than not and was far better than his pedestrian numbers would suggest. Combine that with his relentlessly sunny attitude, and it was an easy call for the Blackhawks to sign him to a two-year contract to hold down the net while the Blackhawks waited for either Arvid Söderblom or Drew Commesso to take it from him.
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But Mrázek crashed down to Earth this season. He's been the worst goalie in the league since Dec. 1, with an .866 save percentage and a minus-14.95 goals saved above expected, per Evolving Hockey. Söderblom had taken over as the Blackhawks' clear No. 1, so when they acquired Spencer Knight from Florida in the Seth Jones trade, Mrázek was the odd man out. He carries a $4.25 million cap hit, he's signed through next season, and Chicago was out of salary retention spots. A trade seemed like a long shot. So, to get out from underneath that contract less than a week after acquiring Knight — and to get a 25-year-old, controllable former first-rounder in Joe Veleno, to boot — is nifty work by Chicago GM Kyle Davidson.
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Veleno will slot in as Smith's replacement in the bottom six. He was underwater in Detroit, with the Red Wings outscored 29-14 at five-on-five with him on the ice. But there's nothing NHL GMs love more than 'change of scenery' trades and reclamation projects with former first-round picks. Veleno has had quite a drop-off after a solid 28-point campaign last season, with his production and his minutes dropping quite a bit. He's got just five goals and five assists in 56 games this season, averaging a mere 11:57 per game. But he'll have a much greater opportunity in Chicago than he had in Detroit. He's worth the flier.
Smith, meanwhile, is a solid depth scorer who's never shy about shooting. At 35, he wasn't in the Blackhawks' plans, but he can provide some depth scoring for a Red Wings team that's hoping to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Mrázek part from Detroit's side is somewhat more confounding, considering he now joins a Red Wings squad that also has two goalies in place — Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon.
Blackhawks grade: A+
Red Wings grade: B-
(Photo of Petr Mrázek: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
