Petr Mrázek was signed by the Maple Leafs in the summer to a three-year deal with an AAV of $3.8 million.
It’s clear from various reports that an attempt was made to trade him and replace him with Marc-André Fleury, but that never got very deep into negotiations. However, waiving is a strange tactic.
If the desired effect is cap space, the Leafs can only gain $1.125 million if he clears, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of chance that someone takes him on without being asked nicely with some sweeteners.
That small amount of space might be what the Leafs need for some other purpose.