Flyers GM made Mrazek trade to reward players, make playoffs

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall pulled the trigger on a necessary trade Monday night.

Related: Red Wings trade Mrazek to Flyers for conditional draft picks

With both Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth expected to be out weeks, Hextall did what he could to help aid his club, which currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division, by acquiring netminder Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings.

For Hextall, the move was one his players earned.

"This is a sign that our players have done a really good job," Hextall said. "They've worked extremely hard. We're in a tough situation - you lose your top two goalies when you're fighting for a playoff spot, and our players have worked hard for a long time now, and I didn't feel like it was fair to not have a proven NHL goaltender for this team. That's the reason we acted. Our focus right now is to make the playoffs, and if we make the playoffs, then we’ll go from there."

Mrazek will become a restricted free agent at season's end. And while his age and potential could be intriguing to the Flyers, Hextall admits he has no idea whether the team will re-sign him or not, according to Dave Isaac of the Courier Post.

The 26-year-old Mrazek could potentially make his first start with his new team Tuesday when the Flyers host the Montreal Canadiens.