We've reached the point in the NHL offseason where insiders are saying anything they can in hopes that it'll stick.
Last season, we received vague speculation on a near-daily basis about Anaheim Ducks restricted free agent Mason McTavish and then-Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi. This offseason, the story to follow seems to be the Detroit Red Wings and their goaltending prospect pool.
It's no secret that the Red Wings have a bevy of high-potential netminders. It's entirely possible that we'll see a backup battle between Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava throughout the preseason. Sooner or later, something will have to give. Eventually, the Red Wings will need to decide which goaltender is the face of the future between the pipes.
But, if we know anything about Steve Yzerman, it's that he's never one to jump the gun preemptively.
NHL insider and trade speculator Frank Seravalli recently posited that the Red Wings would move on from Cossa this offseason. "Sebastian Cossa is going to be on the move," Seravalli said. "The question is where and what’s his upside?”
Could Cossa be moved? Sure. Is it going to happen as quickly as Seravalli believes? Absolutely not.
NHL insiders struggle to speculate on Red Wings
This isn't the first time a national NHL insider has speculated on the Red Wings, and it certainly won't be the last. It's hard to blame them: the Red Wings are one of the most tight-lipped organizations in professional sports. Additionally, Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Michal Postava is playing so well that Cossa has been riding the bench through this portion of the Calder Cup playoffs.
With any other organization, it would be fair to put two and two together to assume a trade would be in the works.
But the Red Wings aren't any other organization.
From the very start of his tenure, Steve Yzerman has stressed patience with the rebuild. At this rate, "patience" as well be the slogan of the rebuild, as the Red Wings have yet to make the playoffs in Yzerman's entire tenure. The only moment in Yzerman's tenure that can be considered a rush job is the Jake Walman trade to the San Jose Sharks, and even then, there's some context outsiders are missing.
Perhaps we will never know why Walman was shipped off so hurriedly. But the Walman trade is the exception rather than the rule. Why, after nearly a decade of the Yzerplan in place, would anyone assume that Yzerman is going to hurriedly ship off the team's top goaltending prospect?
This overconfident assumption is just a microcosm of a bigger issue with NHL insiders. Because they're so broadly focused on the entirety of the league, it's hard for them to zero in on specific teams. It becomes even harder when you have a team like the Red Wings, who won't cede any ground to insiders.
Now, if Cossa is traded this offseason, it'll be because the organization has put a plan in motion long before this. It won't be because one player got hot around the playoffs.
There are teams desperate for goaltending that are targeting the Red Wings. But, at this point in the rebuild, it's hard to imagine Yzerman will jump the gun to trade with a team like the Edmonton Oilers. The return would need to be staggering to justify moving the team's top goaltending prospect.
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