Another great question rolled in for this past weekend’s mailbag (see here for part one):
Do you have a sense of whether the Red Wings see Cossa or Augustine as more their goalie of the future? Or are they of a mind that they will ultimately need to go outside for the goaltender of their postseason run era?
— Brookens Institution (@DetroitTankCity) July 27, 2024
A great debate is set to rage within the Detroit Red Wings fandom over the next two-to-three seasons. There’s a line forming in the sand, and I suppose we should pick a side at some point.
At the National Hockey League (NHL) level, the bumpy ride of netminders began even before Timmy Howard retired.
Yes, I know his name is Jimmy (James Howard III to be specific), but since his last playoff run he’s known in my head as Timmy.
My sister, dad, and I were giving Timmy a hard time after a rough game. Meanwhile, my mom tried to come to his defense, asking us to be nice to poor Timmy Howard. As her nickname of Full Throttle stuck, so too did Timmy’s.
Then, the Detroit Red Wings had a promising young goaltender in Petr Mrázek who was traded.
After Timmy retired and Mrázek’s trade, there’s been a revolving door that has yet to slow.
While there are more than a few question marks plaguing the Detroit Red Wings organization, finding a number one goaltender seems to be the biggest.
It’s said that goaltending can make up about 75% of a win but can be 100% the reason a team loses. Essentially, a goaltender can be the majority of the reason a team wins or one of (if not the only) reason a team loses.
The netminding position has improved since Steve Yzerman became the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Although, I would argue Jonathan Bernier might have been the most consistent goaltender the Detroit Red Wings have iced since Howard. He might not know who Nelson Mandela was, but he sure knew how to backstop a crumbling NHL team.
Alex Lyon played his heart out all season, but as the team started to falter Lyon could only do so much. Let’s couple this fact with the unrelenting starts, Lyon didn’t have an easy job. His highs were some of the biggest highs, but I’d argue he was less consistent than Bernier.
From a personal standpoint, I would love to see Lyon stay long-term with the Detroit Red Wings, I’m talking about three-to-five years (not a seven-to-eight year deal before anyone wants to jump me).
With a few young goaltending prospects in the system, I think he would be a great veteran partner. He’s played as a backup goaltender throughout most of his career, so I don’t think his ego would be hurt to get fewer starts as his career comes to a close.
He has a great personality and I love the way that he plays, especially how he sees himself within the team. It’s something that I hope can rub off on all the goaltending prospects the Detroit Red Wings have.
There are a handful of prospects that pop into my mind when it comes to the Detroit Red Wings future number one in net, but it begs the question.
Who is the starting goaltender of the future for the Detroit Red Wings?
The question is an intriguing one that I hope rages for the next decade to come (because we have that many great up and coming goaltenders in the league).