Petr Mrazek signs bridge deal worth 4 million AAV

After writing about Mrazek the other day, I couldn’t help but feel that Mrazek was going to be the person coming out ahead in this deal. He is a player that is taking over the starting net for the Wings and has shown a lot of promise in his short time with the team. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Red Wings have avoided arbitration and have signed Mrazek to a two-year deal with a 4 million dollar AAV.

As I pointed out in my previous article, it was tough finding a proper comparable contract for Mrazek. Similar players were signed through their UFA years and others had a mix of UFA and RFA years that messed it up. Overall, Mrazek is coming out of this as the real winner.

The contract for Cory Schneider may end up being the best comparison here. Back in 2012, Schneider signed a three-year deal, 4 million annually and ended up getting traded then signed to a big money deal. Schneider has had slightly better numbers during his career but Mrazek could end up taking a similar approach. He has been consistent in his time with the team and has only seemed to improve. This bridge contract could end up being a nightmare for the Wings long term.

This currently puts the Wings over the salary cap by 4.8 million according to NHL Numbers, luckily they have a pair of players they can put on LTIR to alleviate the pressure. Even then, they will only have a shade over 100k dollars available come next season after all the cap maneuvering. Is a trade coming or will the team be okay with their current position?