Carter Mazur’s injury history is still a concern.
There’s little question that Mazur is a talented player. He excels as a two-way forward, possesses a strong shot, and brings a physical edge to nearly every shift. Yet some observers contend that his comparatively slight frame—standing 6’0” and weighing 173 pounds—has contributed to his recurring injury issues.
The 2024-25 season was a rough one for Mazur. After suffering a nasty concussion, he bounced back to score 15 points in 20 AHL games before getting called up to the Red Wings. However, his debut was a painful one, as he dislocated his elbow and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Unavoidable injury?
The conventional refrain in response to Carter Mazur’s situation goes something like this: “We’ll get him stronger this offseason. He’ll be fine.” Yet when examined closely, that explanation feels like it’s lacking some substance.
Consider the concussion: while improved conditioning can modestly reduce risk and aid recovery, the reality is that Mazur’s particular collision likely would have produced the same outcome regardless.
The dislocated elbow tells a similar story. Occurring just 1:10 into his first game, the injury appeared far more fluke than failure—an awkward angle into the boards that abruptly ended his season.
Taken together, these episodes suggest a sobering possibility: Mazur may simply be injury-prone. It is not an indictment of his toughness or ability, but rather a reality that the organization must weigh carefully.
This is hardly an unfamiliar phenomenon in professional hockey. On one end of the spectrum, players like Brent Burns and Phil Kessel have famously strung together 900-plus consecutive games without pause. On the other, some athletes seem perpetually ensnared by the injury bug, unable to sustain a full season without setback.
The best path forward
Strength training and added muscle are undoubtedly valuable, but they are not cure-alls. Even the most physically developed athletes—including NFL players trained for unrelenting collisions—remain vulnerable to concussions and catastrophic injuries.
More often than not, durability stems not from brute strength alone but from intelligent positional play, heightened body awareness, and disciplined decision-making.
For Mazur, the prudent path lies in leveraging his two-way skill set without crossing into recklessness. Unlike football, hockey affords its players stylistic flexibility. Should Mazur commit to an intensive offseason program yet continue to fall victim to injury while maintaining his current brand of physicality, the responsibility will rest on him to recalibrate.
He will need to confront the reality that he is not built to replicate the grinding style of a Zach Hyman or Ivan Barbashev. There is, after all, a reason why even a generational talent like Cale Makar avoids collisions: not every player’s body is designed for that brand of hockey.
Another instructive example comes from the world of boxing. Early in his career, Floyd Mayweather Jr. endured a series of debilitating hand injuries that threatened to derail his trajectory. At lightweight and below, he had earned a reputation as a knockout artist, stopping opponents with regularity.
Yet faced with the fragility of his hands, Mayweather was advised to reinvent his style. He did—and the transformation proved decisive. By shifting from a power-punching approach to one rooted in precision, defense, and economy, he not only preserved his longevity but also elevated himself into the sport’s preeminent draw. Without that adaptation, it is difficult to imagine him ever becoming boxing’s greatest box-office attraction.
Mazur is most valuable when he is on the ice, not on the sidelines. His long-term success may depend less on the weight room and more on the wisdom to adapt—recognizing that self-preservation is sometimes the best route to unlocking one’s full potential.