Maple Leafs trade Petr Mrázek

Hearing #Leafs are trading Petr Mrazek to #Blackhawks. Believe it involves No. 25 and Mrazek for No. 38 overall.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 8, 2022

Dubas is on the phone pic.twitter.com/jxtXrUxjtH

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) July 8, 2022

In terms of pick value the difference between the 25th and 38th on average is very, very small. In this volatile draft, it might properly be considered to be the same value. Unless there’s more to this, this is a home run trade.

Mrázek was signed last summer to a three-year deal at what seemed like a comfortable AAV. Injuries and poor performance after them have taken the bloom off the AAV, and the Leafs are now in need of someone to man the net. Or more likely two new goalies.

Trade announcement on the floor from Gary Bettman, confirms the picks listed by Frank Seravalli.

No salary retained in the Mrazek trade. Blackhawks pick up his full contract.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 8, 2022

With the 25th overall, Chicago took Sam Rinzel.

Later, Arizona and Edmonton made a similar trade:

Kassian to ARIZ with number 29, a future second and a future third for number 32

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 8, 2022

The #oilers are not retaining any of Zack Kassian's cap hit/salary in the deal with Arizona. He has two years remaining with a $3.2M AAV.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 8, 2022

The difference between these two deals is dramatic, and that’s the false cachet of a “first rounder” at play.