from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
Not sure if Detroit coach Derek Lalonde was in any danger of losing his job after the Red Wings’ playoff drought continued, but the way they battled in that final home-and-home with the Montreal Canadiens suggests he’s still got the team playing for him. More structure – and maybe more stability in goal – might be enough to finally get them over the hump.
James Reimer is an unrestricted free agent, so if no changes are made in goal, the Red Wings can go with Ville Husso ($4.75 million) and Alex Lyon ($900,000) as their tandem. Iffy.
There is reason to believe that the Calgary Flames will re-engage with the New Jersey Devils in talks for Jacob Markstrom in the offseason, but if that can’t get back on track, would Detroit consider taking on Markstrom, obliging Calgary to take Husso’s contract back, and offering up a first rounder for the privilege?
Maybe that’s something that can be addressed.
Ideally, Calgary would like a young center back in any trade for Markstrom, but if that can’t happen, then a lottery pick might be enough.
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List of UFA goalies.
Can't wait to sign Calvin Pickard...again.
Eesh, lot of career backups and has-been on that list, apart from Swayman who is under Boston's control and Pekka-Luukonnen under BUF control. Samsonov might be worth taking a flier on for roughly his current cap hit, but the Wings already have 2 goalies signed so Husso (who has zero value right now) would need to be moved. And there's no guarantee he would be an upgrade.
I think with the cap constraints the team will have, the only real option is to roll the dice on Husso and hope he bounces back. Sign a 3rd backup for dirt cheap (good Gord please not Reimer again) to be waived/burred if not needed at the start of the season. Have a Vet in GR ready to step in when injuries happen.
They need a #1 goalie. Right now we have 3 number-2/3 goalies.
Husso's contract is going to be tough to unload - he's paid way more than he should, so the only way he'll be gone is if the deal is incredibly sweet for another team looking to rebuild.
Maybe the wings will carry four goalies next year.😜
All I remember is when we played in Calgary Markstrom was awful
Yes, we need a number 1 goalie. It is not Husso.
There is nothing on that UFA list that would inspire confidence in our goaltending position, if aquired.
Improvement here will either come internally (Cossa does what Raymond did a couple years ago and makes it impossible to be sent down once the season starts) or by trade.
I would be interested in seeing what Boston might want for Ullmark since they were willing to trade him.
As TK and VP suggest, Markstrom is not the answer to the Wings' problem in goal. And he's certainly not worth giving up a 1st-round pick in order to replace Husso with him. I mean that's just crazy talk.
Personally, I'd keep Husso and Lyon for now and then give Cossa a shot next fall. If he's ready, the Wings can try to trade Husso or Lyon and, if that fails, they can bury Husso in GR (unless he proves he's overcome his physical and mental issues).
Totally agree! Definitely allows Cossa a chance for some games and experience with the Big Club.
I think a Lyon/Cossa tandem would be interesting after Husso is gone, sooner or later.
I think Lyon & Husso as 1A/1B works just fine. If we can get a 3rd guy who can play down GR as insurance that's a bonus. I think Driedger would fit this bill nicely but wouldn't hate to see Reimer back. Lyon did pretty good overall this year, he just can't handle a starter's workload.
Yes. Desperately.
But as I've mentioned before this year's FA class is very weak. IF Husso can stay healthy, and there's no good reason to think he can, he and Lyon splitting 50/50 next season isn't atrocious. But it ain't good either. So sign another vet journeyman, carry 3 goalies and hope one catches fire? Lyon isn't a full-time starter imo.
I'd put the chances of seeing Cossa in Detroit next season at just slightly above no-chance-in-hell.
Husso is 29. I believe he can be an effective 40 game goalie for us. Lyon could take care of the rest while Cossa waiting in the Wings. Maybe sign someone of a 2-way.
Husso was quite good for the first half last season, but was way over worked by the end of it. Lyon is a capable backup, and can get on hot streaks, so Derek can ride the hot hand. Husso had this season off, basically. I don't know the extent of either of his lost time injuries (or even if the 2nd was a re-aggravation of the first), so I have no idea how many games he'll play. Is he supposed to be 100% by camp, at least?
I wouldn't give up a 1st for any goaltender, not least because we have two possible top shelf guys in the system now. Give them a few years to ripen and see what we have.
The Wings absolutely need a #1 goalie. I have no faith in Husso, Lyon is just an ok backup. I have no answers..
I think Husso and Lyon could both be good next year splitting the work. Husso was great for a stretch last year and decent early this year before going cold and getting hurt. Lyon was outstanding in January.
The problem with both goalies was Lalondes reluctance to play the backup when they had 2 or 3 bad games in a row. Both goalies seem to have a tendancy to overplay the puck and get caught out of their net when they're not playing well. They simply get burnt out playing behind a team with that level of team defense in front of them.
Next year play the hot goalie until he has 2 bad starts in a row then switch to the other guy and repeat. It would also be nice not to use any more cap space on the goalies for another year while there are other needs. Another year for Cossa to keep developing before committing cap space to goalies would also give the wings more flexibility next summer.
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