Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Petr Mrazek’s lower-body injury has hit the Anaheim Ducks hard, and Chicago Blackhawks fans know how quickly his season can flip. Mrazek has been around long enough that teammates follow his body language, especially when a goalie is trying to shake off pain. The early read is a lower-body issue with a short-term timeline, but goalies hate anything that touches their push and recover.

Why it matters

Tactically, a lower-body tweak changes everything, because Mrazek’s game is built on quick slides, hard seals, and second-effort scrambles. If he cannot drive laterally, pucks find the far side on broken plays, and Anaheim’s young defenders start chasing. This also squeezes the roster, because every recall, waiver move, or emergency start turns into a nightly gamble.

The details

In Chicago, Mrazek was asked to be the adult in the room on nights the blue line got hemmed in for full shifts. He still posted a 12-17-1 record with a .907 save percentage in 2023-24, which tells you he competed even when the scoreboard was ugly. The Blackhawks liked the fit enough to extend him at a $4.25 million cap hit, betting on his edge and his work habits.

Late in a recent game, Mrazek was seen laboring to get up after an injury.
The players

Petr Mrazek

A veteran NHL goaltender who has played for the Anaheim Ducks and previously the Chicago Blackhawks.

Anaheim Ducks

An NHL team that currently employs Petr Mrazek as their starting goaltender.

Chicago Blackhawks

An NHL team that previously employed Petr Mrazek and is familiar with how his injury issues can impact a team.

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What they’re saying

“This is where the Chicago chapter matters, because Blackhawks fans saw Mrazek battle through rough stretches, then steal games when the structure in front of him fell apart.”

— Bruce Raymond, Chicago Hockey Insider (hawksinsider.com)

What’s next

The next few games become a test of team defense more than goaltending, with tighter gaps and fewer east-west looks allowed.

The takeaway

Chicago learned this lesson with Mrazek, and Anaheim is about to learn it too, starting with the very next start between the pipes. Mrazek’s injury will force the Ducks to tighten up their team defense and rely less on their goaltender’s acrobatics.