I want to like him, but I just can't.
I like him, and Hexy deserves credit for picking up a quality goalie at a reasonable cost when all the other GM's knew we were pretty desperate. But I can understand why a Flyer fan might be wary about a goalie.
Mrazek was tested last night and and performed brilliantly, but Montreal also shanked some grade A opportunities that might have found their way into the net if we had been playing Pittsburgh, the Caps, or Tampa Bay.
Petr is athletic and skillful with the puck. I prefer that style, but the trade-off is obvious; he just doesn't cover as much of the net as the big and tall "blocking" style goalies. He's listed at 6' 2" and 181 pounds. I believe the weight, but the height seems a bit "optimistic." Here he is with Jake, who's also listed at 6' 2".
As a smaller, more athletic goalie Mrazek will leave room top shelf (just like Bob and Jonathan Quick) in favor of sealing off the bottom third of the net. That's an ok trade, so long as he tracks the puck well and controls rebounds,
and his defenders help protect him from rebounds and high quality chances close in.
It's good that Hexy knows a lot about the position and he must have liked what he saw in Petr. It's also good that Dillabaugh has a lot of experience working with smaller, athletic goalies like Quick and Bernier, so Mrazek's style will be familiar.
I like Petr now. I think I'll like him even more when we upgrade our second and third defensive pairings.