TRAVERSE CITY - Petr Mrazek regressed during his second full season in the NHL and Detroit Red Wings goalie coach Jeff Salajko is willing to take some of the blame for that.
But Mrazek obviously has to take some of the responsibility, too.
A year ago, the Red Wings promoted Salajko from Grand Rapids of the AHL, where he coached Mrazek for two seasons. He was hired largely to work with Mrazek after he was named the team's No. 1 goaltender entering last season.
But Mrazek struggled early last season, lost the starting job to Jimmy Howard and was left unprotected in the expansion, when the Vegas Golden Knights said "no thanks" and allowed Mrazek to return to Detroit.