Before the Sebastian Cossa trade, prospects and analysts agreed that the Detroit Red Wings had the best goaltending pipeline in the NHL. At that time, it appeared as if Sebastian Cossa would be the future answer in net moving forward.
That assumption started getting shaky during the springtime when the league-leading Grand Rapids Griffins named Michal Postava their starting goaltender for the playoffs. Cossa would not start a single postseason contest in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. As the offseason wore on, pundits started positing that Steve Yzerman was looking to offload Cossa as he entered restricted free agency with all of one relief appearance under his belt for his NHL career.
Finally, at the NHL Draft, the smoke of the rumors produced fire with Detroit sending Cossa to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a first-round pick, which they used to select skilled forward J.P. Hurlbert. That move closed the chapter on Cossa, who the Red Wings took after trading up in the 2021 draft to pick him over Minnesota star netminder Jesper Wallstedt.
With Cossa gone and the team’s other top goaltending prospect, Trey Augustine, just beginning his professional career this season, Postava now has an opportunity to secure an NHL gig as Gibson’s backup this season.
Who is Michal Postava?
A native of Valašské Meziříčí, Czechia, Postava notched an impressive 17-6-4 mark with the Griffins in his first North American season, recording a 1.71 goals against average and .937 save percentage after signing a two-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings last June.
An athletic goalie standing at 6-1, Postava went undrafted in 2020 despite posting a 1.70 GAA and .933 save percentage for the HC Prerov in the Czechia U20 league. After playing only 41 combined games the next two seasons, he took off in his final three years overseas, producing save percentages of .932, .943, and .921 with 11 combined shutouts. This drew the attention of pro scouts in North America and ultimately landed him in Grand Rapids.
Postava shined down the stretch in AHL
After taking some time to get his feet wet behind Cossa, Postava found another level in his game. Starting in January, Postava made 19 starts and allowed fewer than three goals in 14 of them. He also allowed only 11 total goals in his final eight starts of the regular season, pitching two shutouts in his last four appearances to boot to wrestle away the starting role from Cossa in the playoffs.
While the Griffins’ postseason run was cut short, Postava held the fort beautifully in the crease, allowing two goals or fewer in his first five appearances and notching a 2.09 goals against average and .912 save percentage in eight outings.
What does Postava’s future hold?
The million dollar question for Michal Postava now is how he'll perform in the NHL. It's encouraging that what the Griffins’ coaching staff and Red Wings’ front office saw was enough for them to cut bait on the presumed top goaltending prospect in the system.
Trey Augustine is still viewed as the goaltender of the future in Detroit. Depending on how the Dylan Larkin saga plays out, the team could still wish to bring on a veteran goalie to be the team’s backup. That said, undrafted and twice-waved goaltender Brandon Bussi just finished off delivering a Stanley Cup to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The fact that Postava is a potential full-time NHLer next season speaks to just how much he has shown since joining the organization.
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