A competitive goaltending battle expected at camp, Jared Goff receives a cool gift

Last season, the Detroit Red Wings broke training camp with three goaltenders on their active roster and stayed with that approach (while everyone was healthy) for the majority of the season. I intentionally bracketed the healthy part because remaining healthy became a real problem for the Red Wings netminders last season. I believe Detroit was prepared to roll with three netminders even if there were no significant injuries last season; that alone is somewhat concerning.

The concern is simple: the Detroit Red Wings don't have a traditional No. 1 caliber netminder. They didn't last season, and although I believe Detroit upgraded the position this summer, it's still an area of concern heading into 2024-25. Also, I am a bit surprised general manager Steve Yzerman didn't use a buyout on Ville Husso after the extra opportunity was granted following the contract extension with restricted free agent Joe Veleno. The two sides avoided arbitration when the Red Wings inked Veleno to a two-year extension worth $4.550 million. If you are unaware, avoiding arbitration with a player grants a team a 48-hour 'extra' buyout window for a player who earns $4 million or more annually. Husso, 29, is entering the final year of his current deal with an annual salary of $4.75 million.

Husso spent most of last season on the shelf with various lower-body injuries. Before the initial leg injury in December, Husso found himself scuffling to perform at the same level he did while with the St. Louis Blues or the first half of his first season in Detroit. In year one with the Red Wings, Husso played very well for the first half of the year and then found himself banged up and fatigued down the stretch. It was the first time Husso had been asked to shoulder the load as a No. 1 NHL netminder, and he admitted that he needed to focus on being more mentally and physically prepared ahead of last season. Well, last season quickly became a year to forget for the Finnish goaltender. Husso appeared in 19 games last season, posting a 9-5-2 record with a disheartening 3.55 goals against average and .892 save percentage.

In his two seasons with Detroit, Husso has a combined -19.8 Goals Saved Above Average. This calculates a goaltender's goals prevented given his save percentage and total shots faced compared to the league average save percentage on the same number of shots. In comparison, the year before joining Detroit, Husso produced a 15.0 goals saved above average. Now, part of this is attributed to the overall team defense and how many high-danger and slot chances a team gives up over the course of the season, or more specifically, a particular goaltender is in the net. It's odd, but some teams perform better for some goalies than others. Some of this is matchup-driven, too. If the backup goaltender gets most of his starts on the second of a back-to-back, the team in front of him may be a bit more sluggish or run out of gas as the game ages.

A goaltending battle will ensue between a few veteran netminders this summer in Detroit.

"That’s going to be a healthy competition," coach Derek Lalonde said this week. "I’ve been speaking with all three goalies. I think Steve did a pretty good job of explaining to them the situation, that it’s going to be a competition. All three goalies over the last couple of years have proven to play at a very high level."

Alex Lyon proved to be Detroit's best option in goal last season, posting a 21-18-5 record backed by a 3.05 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. Lyon's 43 starts (at the NHL level) were a career-high by a mile this past year; his previous high came the year prior in Florida when he made 14 starts. Last year, Lyon took over as the clear top option in goal in late December, and his dazzling play surged the Red Wings into the playoff conversation in January and February before cooling off to close out the year. Lyon, 31, is entering the final year of his two-year deal that carries an average annual value of $900,000. Compared to Husso, Lyon posted a 1.1 Goals Saved Above Average last year. Lyon figures to see the lion's share of the early season work, splitting time with the newly acquired Cam Talbot.

Speaking of Talbot, the Detroit Red Wings signed the veteran goaltender to a two-year $5 million contract earlier this summer. Talbot figures to begin the year as the preferred option in goal, but there is no doubt this is expected to be a goaltender-by-committee situation again for head coach Derek Lalonde. Talbot, 37, is coming off a stellar season in Los Angeles, posting a 27-20-6 record backed by a 2.50 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. Talbot maintained a 14 Goals Saved Above Average last season, but that's a bit skewed, considering that he played behind one of the top defensive teams collectively last season.

The trio figures to battle it out during training camp, the preseason, and likely into the regular season. Healthy competition isn't the worst thing. If all goes well, they will push one another to perform better, and Detroit will reap the benefit of playing the hot hand. The Detroit Red Wings also signed veteran and former Windsor Spitfire Jack Campbell to a one-year deal. Campbell will be paired with top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa in Grand Rapids. He will also be a fourth option with NHL experience in case things really go south at the position in Detroit. In fact, with Husso and Lyon entering the final year of their current contracts, I expect to see the combination of Cossa and Talbot as the battery in Detroit for the 2025-26 season.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin gives Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff a cool gift.

A few Detroit Red Wings were in Allen Park over the weekend, taking in the Detroit Lions practice. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin gave quarterback Jared Goff a cool gift—well, two cool gifts. Larkin gave Goff a No. 16 Goff Red Wings jersey and a Vladimir Konstantinov jersey and informed him the jersey number is pretty important in these parts.

Goff mentioned that he'd need to read up on the significance of the number following practice. Part of me was a bit surprised by the response but quickly realized that Goff was a California kid and probably not a big hockey fan. I am still a bit shocked that he didn't know Konstantinov, but the benefit of doing these types of exchanges is that players from other sports can get accustomed to past and present players/legends in the current city they play.