The Petr Mrazek trade cost the Maple Leafs a top defenseman four years before they needed one most
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Talk around town is Morgan Rielly heading elsewhere but he could have been gone way earlier had Toronto drafted his replacement and not traded the pick to Chicago.
Having stuck around for the last 13 years, Morgan Rielly has been a staple in the Maple Leafs lineup. Whether you think that's a positive or a negative is solely up for debate, though his struggles recently have led more people to fall into the latter category.
He's looked at as one of the first people to be dealt away with the incoming roster changes, and there's going to be a little difficulty getting him off the books given his money and decline but there are certainly some interested parties.
Toronto's decision to acquire Petr Mrazek cost them Morgan Rielly's replacement
Though they may not have been in this situation to begin with had they not made a horrible decision — trading for Petr Mrazek.
The Maple Leafs traded their 2022 first-rounder to Chicago for the 38th overall pick and Mrazek. Toronto needed to shore up their goaltending and adding a veteran like Mrazek made sense, and it's not like Toronto wasn't able to get a good player.
Mrazek only played in 20 games for Toronto and recorded a 12-6-0 record with a 3.34 GAA and .888 SV%. He was pedestrian at best and certainly not worth what Toronto gave up.
Chicago ended up selecting defender Sam Rinzel from the University of Minnesota; a 6-foot-4 mobile two-way blueliner with a wicked shot, great hands and a solid idea for defending. He's only 21 years old and looks poised to be a star for years.
Rinzel has only 63 games under his belt so far but already has 19 points, 68 blocks, and 61 hits in 19:00; in his first season he logged nearly 23-and-a-half minutes of ice-time.
How the butterfly effect has seriously affected Toronto's future
Toronto ended up drafting Fraser Minten, a great choice no doubt. The issue is that they traded him for Brandon Carlo and their 2026 first-round pick. If the team had Rinzel in tow and no Rielly, then it's very likely that deal never gets made and Minten elsewhere; perhaps even Chicago.
Rinzel would have offered them a young defender with huge upside, a replacement for Morgan Rielly, and also a right-handed shot; he was everything they needed but fell for the ol' veteran goalie trap.
It shows the butterfly effect that really does appear when one domino falls as you never know what piece can turn into another and also how Toronto's bad decisions cost them their future — twice.
If Rinzel was in play, then Toronto likely wouldn't have Rielly sticking around for those four years, and it would mean that they could have gone a different route defensively. Maybe they don't sign Oliver Ekman-Larsson, or try for Chris Tanev as they'll be looking towards a younger core already.
Toronto's goaltending woes have always been an issue however no one expected it could have led to this.
They traded for Mrazek because they needed help. In doing so they gave Chicago a defender for the future, the Bruins a star forward, and Morgan Rielly too much responsibility for him to handle.
That's a trifecta of failed bets and Toronto's reward is hopefully not messing it up the second time.
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