Red Wings' Petr Mrazek Has Golden Opportunity While Gustavsson Is Sidelined

Heading into the season, the Detroit Red Wings' goaltending situation was set with Jimmy Howard in goal and Jonas Gustavsson as his backup.

The plan was going swimmingly until "The Monster" separated his shoulder on the last play of Detroit's loss against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, as reported by NHL.com.

To address the Wings' need, general manager Ken Holland called up youngster Petr Mrazek from the Grand Rapids Griffins. He talked about the situation with the media on Thursday.

"Our goaltending has been good in the early going with Gus and Jimmy Howard," Holland told reporters. "Gus was a big part in us making the playoffs last year. We're disappointed he's got a significant injury (but) we feel really good we have Petr Mrazek."

At this moment, Mrazek has a golden opportunity in front of him, as he has a chance to prove himself at the NHL level and rebound from a poor AHL start this year.

Thus far, Mrazek is 1-2-0 with a 3.80 goals-against average and .854 save percentage in four games with the Griffins. His play thus far can be described as a disappointment, especially when you factor in that he went 22-9-1 with a 2.10 GAA and .924 save percentage in the AHL last season.

When it comes to NHL experience, Mrazek has some decent numbers—albeit with a small sample size. In 12 appearances, he's 4-5-0 with a 1.88 goals-against average, and a .924 save percentage. With Gustavsson out of the picture, for now, Mrazek can showcase why he is going to be a future NHL starter.

When it comes to build, Mrazek fits the description to a tee. He's 6'1", 187 pounds and very athletic. In many ways, the Red Wings' current backup can be described as a Dominik Hasek-like goalie at times.

While he's not as talented as his fellow countryman, he is never completely out of a play. Just like Hasek, Mrazek will get aggressive and can pop across the crease to make an acrobatic save. Ultimately, he projects to be a solid starter, and the sooner he becomes a regular backup the better.

He's 22, and Jimmy Howard is 30. Ultimately, he could come into his own as a starter around age 25 or 26 after some more maturing, and that would put Howard at 33 or 34.

CapGeek.com indicates Howard's contract expires when he turns 35, so relinquishing the starting role at 33 or 34 wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Over the past few years, Howard has been limited in the games he is able to play, so developing Mrazek as quickly as possible will create a realistic contingency plan for a world post-Howard.

The above is simply future talk, but the foundation needs to be established. Despite the slow start, Mrazek proved last season that he's too good for the AHL, so he needs to prove that he belongs in the NHL even when Gustavsson gets healthy.

Mrazek proved himself in the Czech Republic and with the Ottawa 67s of the OHL. He then went on to prove himself with Grand Rapids, so the next step for him is crystal-clear.

If Mrazek can continue to display the tools he's showed in the past, he shouldn't have a problem. Then again, that's why they play the games.

Stats via NHL.com and TheAHL.com.