One dream, one realistic, and one bargain free agent for the Red Wings to sign in NHL free agency
Bargain Free Agent: Laurent Brossoit, G/Winnipeg Jets
Signing someone like Laurent Brossoit would be used as a last resort should the Red Wings fail to bring in a goaltender via trade, or even a couple of names who would factor in as a 1B. One objection against bringing in Brossoit lies in the fact that he’s never played in over 24 games in a single season and is firmly entrenched as a No. 2 goaltender, but he’s never had the chance to scale up.
Perhaps a place like the Motor City, which would be perfect for Brossoit to try his hand as a 1B should someone like Alex Lyon take over the net and Ville Husso goes elsewhere - just being hypothetical. Sure, he’s only made 72 regular season appearances between 2020-21 and 2023-24, but it’s also been among the best stretches of his career, with five shutouts, a 0.625 quality starts percentage, a 0.915 save percentage, and a 2.39 GAA.
Yes, you can argue that, defensively, the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights are much better teams than the Red Wings. But still, Brossoit has more than paid his dues. He deserves a chance to earn between 35 and 39 starts, and, ideally, it would come with a team that is more than halfway decent.
No, Detroit may not give him much help when they don’t have the puck unless Steve Yzerman addresses the issue. But it’s also fair to speculate Brossoit, even if he doesn’t put up remarkable numbers with more time and on a team with lesser defense, could still fare better than Husso or James Reimer.
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