3 players who were the Chicago Blackhawks' biggest surprises this season

Petr Mrazek

When Mrazek was acquired by the Blackhawks at the 2022 NHL Draft, the move was a camp dump by the Toronto Maple Leafs to offload his 3.8 million dollar contract.

Last season saw Mrazek start in 39 games for the Blackhawks where he posted 10 wins and a .894 save percentage. Considering the defense that played in front of Mrazek last season, his save percentage is not nearly as bad as it could have been. However, this season Petr Mrazek has been playing his best hockey in years.

Mrazek has struggled with injuries throughout his NHL career, this was the case in Toronto when he suffered a groin injury before being acquired by the Blackhawks. This season he currently has started 54 games which ties a career high set back in 2015-16 while playing in Detroit. In those starts, Mrazek has 18 wins with a .907 save percentage.

The 18 wins for Mrazek do not tell the entire story of how he has played this season, with there being numerous games he has played fantastic in, but the team struggles to score. His strong presence in net and leadership earned Mrazek a two-year extension with the Blackhawks with a salary of 4.25 million per season. Despite talks of teams desperate for a goaltender at the trade deadline, the Blackhawks decided to hold on to their netminder and establish a culture going forward for the young players.