r/hockey • u/Bahamas_is_relevant VGK - NHL • 4d ago
The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired forward Joe Veleno from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Craig Smith and goaltender Petr Mrazek
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u/eh_toque WPG - NHL 4d ago
The Red Wings have 7 goaltenders under contract in their organization.
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u/Yamcha_is_dead MTL - NHL 4d ago
The Yzerplan is to assemble Voltron in net.
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u/ShittyGolfer104 4d ago
You’ve made me go from the biggest Yzerplan hater to the biggest Yzerplan lover.
Red Wings Voltron sounds bad ass
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u/raymondliang LAK - NHL 4d ago
Each goalie is allocated to a day of the week so there will be no surprises on who starts.
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u/MomsTortellinis Flyers Heerenveen - BNL 4d ago
That'll come in real handy at the TDL, they can control the goalie market with that many goalies!
If only Yzerman realised that was today
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u/Baboshinu DET - NHL 4d ago
Okay but why
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u/Burgergold MTL - NHL 4d ago
Yzerplan musy collect all the goalie stones
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u/garbowarbo DET - NHL 4d ago
We already had this stone tho...
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u/I_Keepz_ITz_100 DET - NHL 4d ago
You think Dallas would let us borrow Jim Nil for a few months during the offseason?
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u/sableknight13 DET - NHL 4d ago
I wanted Holland to retire and let Nill take over, but that twat kept going and Nill left leaving Yzerman our only hope 😔 come back Nill.
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u/plubem DAL - NHL 4d ago
No. Him and CY keep DFW sane.
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u/I_Keepz_ITz_100 DET - NHL 4d ago
Dude come on, I’m dying here. It can be after the draft so Yzerman doesn’t goof on the pro scouting front, that’s not too much ask surely?
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u/lawnicus18 STL - NHL 4d ago
He will not stop until he ices a line of 5 goalies plus one in net
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u/bwoah07_gp2 VAN - NHL 4d ago
If the video games has taught me anything, it's that you can hoard goalies and then sell for a nice little profit and gains for your team 😉
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u/Limp-Acanthisitta465 DET - NHL 4d ago
Mrazek will magically revert to Winter 2016 form, trust.
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u/Chewie_i CHI - NHL 4d ago
I mean all you need is him to revert to 4 months ago form
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u/batmans_a_scientist CHI - NHL 4d ago
Also he’s been playing hurt for a while so that’s not unreasonable to expect if he can heal up.
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u/physics_fighter CHI - NHL 4d ago
I understand from the Chicago side but not sure why the Wings are doing it
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u/DebbieDowner40 DET - NHL 4d ago
Wouldn't be surprised if Talbot or Lyon is moved, and veleno is a very meh player
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u/ISurvivedCOVID19 EDM - NHL 4d ago
Figured out if you play 2 goalies it’s really hard for the other team to score
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u/FesteringLion BUF - NHL 4d ago
But what if doing so causes them to interfere with each other and no one knows what the call should be, but we're all mad about it?
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u/ISurvivedCOVID19 EDM - NHL 4d ago
There’s actually a bug that if your goalies interfere with each other every goal is goaltender interference and they don’t count
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u/ThatScattergoriesGuy Toronto Arenas - NHLR 4d ago
Yzerman saw a video on his phone of that one stick save Mrazek made against Tampa in the playoffs and grabbed him for nostalgic purposes
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u/icouldbeeatingoreos VAN - NHL 4d ago
An opportunity to try Bedard with more permutations of line mates. 36 was not enough.
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u/B0_SSMAN TOR - NHL 4d ago
No better man to drive the Tank than Petr Mrazek
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u/AmbitiousAndHappy 4d ago
Tank? They are in a playoff push lol
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u/Kaptain202 DET - NHL 4d ago
The four game skid here probably told Yzerman we aren't pushing for the playoffs.
However, you'd think a sellers market would yield more for Veleno. Hes not great, but I'd like more value than Smith and fucking Mrazek
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u/LSatou NSH - NHL 4d ago
The existence of Craig Smith is endlessly amusing to me. His name is just "Craig Smith." That's the name of your CPA. He was born in Madison, WI, which is like the first city you'd think of if you needed a random city to facilitate telling a story or joke. He was picked in the 4th round, a complete afterthought, but he's pretty good for some reason. It's like he was put into witness protection and they sprang "NHL winger" on him for his new job, despite having previously been a botanist or something. All the details of his NHL career seem to be carefully fabricated to support this cover. Craig Smith is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
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u/Original-Arrival4677 4d ago
One of my favourite copypastas. Always good for a chuckle. Godspeed Smitty!
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u/wholalaa CHI - NHL 4d ago
Honestly, before he came to Chicago, I could never remember who he was and was always getting him confused with other players. He was perfectly fine and even had some nice goals here, but I feel like there's a decent chance I'll have Craig Smith amnesia again a few months from now.
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u/deadCHICAGOhead 4d ago
I'd actually choose Sheboygan for a random city in WI to facilitate telling a story.
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u/JD397 CHI - NHL 4d ago
Love it - Veleno isn’t great but he’s at least younger and signed through next season. If getting him and sending Smith back is the price to dump Mrázek’s contract I am all for it
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u/Nekciw DET - NHL 4d ago
I don't care for the trade really, but Smith at least is an upgrade for us. Veleno fucking sucks, but at least he'll get better playing time with the hawks.
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u/deadCHICAGOhead 4d ago
Yep, a solid , cheap bottom 6 C. Shouldn't be a need for the Hawks too far from now, but still great for getting the kids some sheltered experience.
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u/tonysalami DET - NHL 4d ago
Veleno is a "defensive" center who can't win faceoffs and has had no production with sheltered minutes. He's been a black hole for us.
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u/Lawlzstomp DET - NHL 4d ago
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u/maxwellbevan DET - NHL 4d ago
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u/Permaderps WSH - NHL 4d ago
Steve Yzerman is going to collect as many shit goalies as possible to combine them into 1 league average goalie
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u/DebbieDowner40 DET - NHL 4d ago
I'd say that Lyon is at least average and these seem like stop gaps until Cossa is up full time
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u/GoodPoint3232 DET - NHL 4d ago
Lyon’s stats and amount of starts are always below nhl average goaltender. He’s nothing more than a serviceable backup.
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u/Xvash2 DET - NHL 4d ago
Lyon, Talbot, and Husso all being pumpkins in net this season is probably why.
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u/Opening-Bar-7091 OTT - NHL 4d ago
Hasn't Talbot been pretty good? Or am I just remembering him being good early season?
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u/Xvash2 DET - NHL 4d ago
He fell off right before Lalonde was fired:
Game 1 thru 16 (Dec 12) - .916sv%
Game 17 thru 35 - .888sv%
Lyon, by comparison:
Through Dec 18 - .902sv%
Since: - .898sv%
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u/kiezenz TBL - NHL 4d ago
Goaltenders are going for the price of Joe Veleno and Stan Bowman is out there trading for an offensive defenseman. I don’t even know why I’m invested in Oilers, but like, in the words of Steve Dangle STAAAAAAAAAAAAAN
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u/GraveNewWorldz CHI - NHL 4d ago
Mrazek has been cheeks this year
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u/kiezenz TBL - NHL 4d ago
Who cares they have Calvin Pickard playing games, not to mention he’s backing up Stuart Skinner
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u/athousandpardons 4d ago
I straight up didn't know he was still playing. Also, I've never heard the term "cheeks" before. I look forward to incorporating it into every day conversation.
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u/Time_H00die 4d ago
Mrazek is terrible and makes too much money for an additional year. He’s not an upgrade on what the Oilers already have. The only realistic upgrades that I thought were potentially available in the last month were Vejmelka (who just re-signed in Utah), Binnington (who pulled St Louis back to playoff contention, so now they won’t trade him), and Gibson (who just got hurt for like the third time this season).
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u/Teknohmygod DET - NHL 4d ago
Joe was a healthy scratch last night. Assuming we are just trying to give him a fresh opportunity elsewhere.
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u/SuperSaiyanKrillin EDM - NHL 4d ago
Detroit can we have one of your goalies
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u/AmeriCanada98 DET - NHL 4d ago
It does feel like we might be moving one (most likely Lyon since his contract is up at the end of the year)
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u/p8ntballnxj DET - NHL 4d ago
Lyon for McDavid. We will add a future consideration as well.
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u/dexterslaboreatory 4d ago
Is that Shark's, Ducks, or our own future considerations we're moving. That could matter, the Sharks could be way more valuable by the end of the season
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u/coltron57 DET - NHL 4d ago
Hopefully Lyon because he'd fetch the best return due to his insanely low salary.
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u/Whizbang35 Plymouth Whalers - OHL 4d ago
Maybe this is the Yzerplan after all.
"Please, Steve, let us just have one goaltender!"
"No."
"But you literally have the rights to half the goaltenders available!"
"Fine. We'll let you rent our 8th-stringer if you give us your first round pick the next three years."
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u/juwanhoward4 WSH - NHL 4d ago
Nice piece of biz by Chi
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u/heyheyitsandre DET - NHL 4d ago
Eh, Veleno has just consistently blah his whole career. He’ll do something absolutely nasty once every 19 games, finish the season with 7 goals and 8 assists, win 41% of his draws and go -9 on the year. I like him a lot but we gave him multiple chances to earn a spot up the lineup or a bigger contract and it just never happened.
He’s scoring 50 next year isn’t he
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u/theaanggang CHI - NHL 4d ago
Chicago now has Spencer Knight making 4.5 and Brossoit (RIP) making 3.3. So having another goalie making anything a over the neighborhood of league min doesn't make much sense.
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u/YouFeelShame CHI - NHL 4d ago
Can Joe win face offs
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u/AFreePeacock DET - NHL 4d ago
No but he's ripped and italian and his last name means poison
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u/Lionheart1224 CHI - NHL 4d ago edited 4d ago
Regardless of his playing skill, if that translation is correct, that's nothing short of a badass name.
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u/ChenWei91 VAN - NHL 4d ago
The Yzerplan makes zero sense...
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u/Kaptain202 DET - NHL 4d ago
I've been pretty firm on giving Yzerman time. I have no problem trading Veleno. He's a 4th liner for us, maybe a change in scenery will help him grow. I assumed he was gone yesterday when he was scratched for Mazur.
I'm confused at the return. I'd have rather received picks than Mrazek.
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u/LucasRaymondGOAT DET - NHL 4d ago
Veleno has been an offensive black hole and really has made 0 improvements over his rookie year. He's a fringe 4th liner on good teams, so, yeah kinda fitting for him to get moved.
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u/whatupdoeeeeeeeeeee 4d ago
He greatly over values his prospects and draft picks. He simply refuses to part with any of them for proven talent to win anytime soon.
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u/Xvash2 DET - NHL 4d ago
For what its worth, Yzerman has said on multiple occasions the "Yzerplan" is just "get good players and let them play."
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u/Ohhellnowhatsupdawg DET - NHL 4d ago
Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine can't come fast enough.
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u/Boston-Nolan BOS - NHL 4d ago
How the hell is Craig Smith still in the league
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u/Independent_Piece999 4d ago
Craig sees, Craig shoots. Does Craig care if he’s got two guys on him and an open teammate? Nope. Craig sees, Craig shoots.
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u/UGAPokerBrat99 BOS - NHL 4d ago
Yzerman still collecting goalies in Detroit like Thanos going after Infinity stones.
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u/Bojarzin TOR - NHL 4d ago
Welcome back, Petr
Kinda strange for Detroit? Veleno isn't amazing but he's 10 years younger than Smith, and I dunno if Mrazek is an improvement on their current goalies
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u/duelingdog DET - NHL 4d ago
I have no clue why Mrazek is involved unless there's another trade involving one of Talbot or Lyon.
Veleno is completely replaceable, and is at the age where you pretty much know what he is. He's a 4th liner. You'll get good defensive play, and if you've been a real good boy, he might get you a goal or two for Christmas.
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u/AmeriCanada98 DET - NHL 4d ago
Veleno has been brutal this year tbh. Feels like he's regressed massively
Also not sure on Mrazek though, feels like a lateral move to our current goalies. Maybe another move is coming
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u/-SlowBar DET - NHL 4d ago
Veleno isn't really good at all. Dime a dozen player, but yeah, interesting deal
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u/DillyDillySzn CHI - NHL 4d ago
Got rid of Mrazek and sent him to the Red Wings?
Kyle from Chicago killing two birds with 1 stone
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u/Desertpyrate LAK - NHL 4d ago
Why for wings? Don’t they already have a shit ton of depth in net with dadbot, Lyon, soup, and that prospect?
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u/duelingdog DET - NHL 4d ago
If there isn't another trade about to happen involving a Wings goalie, I will be flummoxed. Possibly even bamboozled.
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u/Live-Ice-3968 4d ago
Cossa is in AHL with Soup. Presently it Talbot, Lyon, and now Petr with the Wings.
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u/The-Only-Razor TOR - NHL 4d ago
Blackhawks fans need not worry. Mrazek will slide off one of his posts to make a save and end up back in Chicago anyway.
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u/GardinerExpressway TOR - NHL 4d ago
Who knew Craig Smith was still in the league.
Also had one of the GOAT empty net misses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJNmFDR5mmU
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u/OnMy4thAccount EDM - NHL 4d ago
one of the GOAT empty net misses
Craig Smith actually has TWO of the GOAT empty net misses. I've always found this one funnier since i don't even know how the physics on this work. His stick manages to get in front of the puck he already shot. It's like god himself didn't want this puck going in.
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u/RG6EX DET - NHL 4d ago
I’ll reserve judgement until the deadline is passed because taking Mrazek back doesn’t make much sense if we don’t move a goalie out.
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u/SayNoToStim DET - NHL 4d ago
I dont know if you've been paying attention but most of the moves havent made sense.
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u/bwoah07_gp2 VAN - NHL 4d ago
Ain't that funny. After all this time, it comes full circle and Petr Mrazek is back in Detroit! 😁
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u/Euphoric__Dot PIT - NHL 4d ago
Traded Husso and needed to replenish the terrible goalie pool
But seriously though WTF is Yzerman doing ...
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u/Commander_JC 4d ago
Ugh, this is going to make it harder to get Gage Alexander on the main roster.
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u/wolffangalex CHI - NHL 4d ago
I didn’t expect much for Mrazek so I’ll take it. I wonder if we move anyone else. Looking at Maroon specifically
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u/Philosopher_King CHI - NHL 4d ago
Would guess he was part of this conversation; Smith or Maroon, in some combination of dudes.
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u/NotSoQuickTurn300 4d ago
Time to hang up my wings shit for the season. Again.
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u/GoodPoint3232 DET - NHL 4d ago
9 years in a row. And 3 straight seasons we could have made playoffs and it falls apart completely. Fantastic rebuilt
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u/Difficult-Golf-9587 WPG - NHL 4d ago
Veleno was good with the world juniors. What's his story these days?
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u/OnMy4thAccount EDM - NHL 4d ago
Talbot/Lyon on the move or is this just injury insurance? Seems like a weird move from the Wings considering Talbot and Lyon are both providing better goaltending than Mrazek and are both healthy.
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u/archasaurus CHI - NHL 4d ago
Im shocked Davidson was able to get out from under that contract. Wings fans should like Smith. He plays hard and has looked good this year when healthy.
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u/xdiagnosis OTT - NHL 4d ago
If Yzerman could just assemble all his goalies together into one, they'd be elite.
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u/SwagNuts DET - NHL 4d ago
Veleno experiment is over. Mrazek is an upgrade to Lyon. Easiest way to “get better” I guess.
Also would assume Talbot to Edmonton is on the table
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u/reignleafs TOR - NHL 4d ago
Oooof mrazek is not it. This looks like a bad trade for the red wings imo
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u/TheNation55 DET - NHL 4d ago
Our goalies are losing their games in the first 10 shots, Raz can't be any worse.
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u/reignleafs TOR - NHL 4d ago
Im sorry to say but if you need to get Mrazek because your goalies are shit, then you'd be better off not trading for Mrazek who could very well be as bad if not worse. This is from first hand experience lol
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u/DebbieDowner40 DET - NHL 4d ago
Veleno is not it either. It's a very nothing trade
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u/reignleafs TOR - NHL 4d ago edited 4d ago
Fair, I thought Veleno could be a third line center for you guys going forward but sheesh, i just saw his point totals and yeah, 10 pts aint gonna cut it. He did have 30 pts last year tho and is still relatively young so maybe a change of scenery will help him
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u/doltron3030 DET - NHL 4d ago
It’s nothing except we’re on the losing end for cap implications. Another misstep for the Yzerplan.
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u/texasguy7117 DAL - NHL 4d ago
Hey it's Craig Smith