5 goaltenders the Red Wings must consider trading for in the offseason
The NHL offseason is here for the Detroit Red Wings, so it’s the time of the year to begin making a few dream scenarios for what Steve Yzerman should do.
The Detroit Red Wings could solve their issues at netminder with one big trade in the offseason. Even if it costs them a large amount of compensation, acquiring an adequate goaltender for 2024-25 would be the final step in this team’s quest to end its far-too-long playoff drought.
This past season, the Red Wings may have earned that elusive postseason berth if they just had a couple of solid goaltenders, but Ville Husso kept disappointing and never seemed to stay healthy, while James Reimer played well at times but lacked consistency.
This left Alex Lyon as the top player in the net, but despite the strong season, it would be risky to go into 2023-24 with who is currently a “one-year wonder” at the position. With nobody worth mentioning in free agency, let’s check out five goalies general manager Steve Yzerman should seriously consider trading for this summer.
Logan Thompson, Vegas Golden Knights
Logan Thompson is the one goaltender on this list who would provide a cost-effective solution in the net for Detroit. So far, his AAV is an ultra-manageable $766,667, and Thompson will be in a contract year for 2024-25. While it’s more than possible the Vegas Golden Knights sign him to an extension this summer, he may still factor in behind Adin Hill, whom they invested far more money into.
This isn’t a knock on Thompson, who had no choice but to step up and provide quality goaltending for Vegas this season when Hill missed extended time with multiple injuries. It resulted in Thompson playing in 46 contests and taking the 1A role, and he did a fine job, logging a 0.908 save percentage, a 2.70 GAA, a shutout, and a 0.595 quality starts percentage.
Thompson also outplayed Hill in a few categories, but again, he’s getting a six-figure investment, while Vegas has nearly an AAV of $5 million invested in Hill. And it’s not like Thompson completely outplayed Hill, so they would have fewer issues trading away the 27-year-old unless Hill’s injury issues this season entice them to shop his contract and drop the final year of it onto someone else.
That said, of the two goaltenders more likely to leave Vegas, at least logistically, it may ultimately be the guy playing netminder in the postseason’s first four games. They also turned to Hill halfway through the series, so until it’s otherwise Thompson’s net for good, he’s getting the mention.
John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
It seems like every offseason, at least for the last few years, John Gibson’s name comes up in hypothetical offseason trade packages. And if the mere mention of Gibson makes you roll your eyes either because of his poor productivity over the years or because the Gibson Trade Talk is once again an annual occurrence, hear me out.
Before anything else, we can all agree the 30-year-old has been put in the worst possible situation over the past five years, as the Ducks have progressively struggled since the 2019-20 season. So we can’t entirely blame Gibson for his following numbers since October 2019: A 74-129-33 record, 0.900 save percentage, 3.36 GAA, 0.466 quality starts percentage, and just six shutouts.
Further, his $6.4 million AAV may also make you cringe, but the Anaheim Ducks will be in a position to retain up to 50 percent of his salary, so there isn’t much of an issue there. Further, because of Gibson’s age and recent performances, the price tag may not be as high as for other goaltenders on this list, so that’s another plus.
Finally, the Red Wings are about three rungs above the Ducks overall. And as a much better hockey team that will also improve its blue line this summer, Gibson will fare much better in the Motor City than he would near the City of Angels.
Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins
Trading with a division rival and for a former Vezina winner, Linus Ullmark won’t come cheap, but the Red Wings would be getting one of the NHL’s best netminders. While Ullmark didn’t enjoy as good of a season in 2023-24, he nonetheless put up a 0.667 quality starts percentage, two shutouts, a 0.915 save percentage, and a 2.57 GAA in his age-30 season.
For most teams, the Red Wings included, these would be 1A numbers or even the numbers of a fully-fledged starting goaltender. But Ullmark has never played in over 49 games in a season, and with Alex Lyon having fared well in the net for Detroit this year, Ullmark wouldn’t need to play in any more than 50 contests, while Lyon could take the rest.
Best yet, Ullmark’s contract also expires following the 2024-25 season, so he wouldn’t get in Sebastian Cossa’s way should the upstart prospect prove himself ready for the big club in 2025-26. This scenario, even if it would cost the Red Wings quite a bit in compensation, still stabilizes the position for a season, and someone like Ullmark would all but guarantee this team snaps its playoff drought.
For Red Wings fans, anything to see their team return to the postseason should be something they endorse, even if it involves spending a lot to get a proven player for just one year.
Jacob Markstrom, Calgary Flames
Jacob Markstrom is one member of the dismantling Calgary Flames who has yet to go elsewhere. But with the team shedding its former core, there is no doubt Markstrom will find himself on the move this summer despite the no-movement clause in his contract.
At this point, there is no way Markstrom would want to play for anyone less than a contender, and the high-scoring Red Wings showed they’re playoff-worthy, and that should be good enough for the 34-year-old. His contract could be an issue, as he’s due $6 million over each of the next two seasons. And as an older netminder, his playing time may backslide over that span.
That said, it would be a good idea to bring in Markstrom while Alex Lyon plays one more season in the Motor City, where they can split time in the net. Come 2025-26, Markstrom could share the net with Sebastian Cossa before going elsewhere, and it would make for an ultra-smooth transition.
Markstrom can still play, as it reflected in his numbers over this past season, with a 0.905 save percentage, a 2.78 GAA, a 0.542 quality starts percentage, and two shutouts. There is a chance he would have fared even better had the Flames not tanked following the trade deadline.
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Juuse Saros would be the prize trade asset here, as he’s still young enough to enjoy at least a few more seasons of his prime, and the Red Wings can afford to sign him to a long, lucrative deal. Sure, there is Sebastian Cossa, but even in a scenario that would bring Saros to the Motor City, it doesn’t mean Cossa wouldn’t be part of the big club.
For one, Saros wouldn’t face the pressure to start 64-plus games with Cossa eventually moving up, as has been the case over the past three seasons. That wouldn’t even be true next season, thanks to how well Alex Lyon played this year. Should Steve Yzerman make that blockbuster trade for Saros, he would sign the 29-year-old to a six or seven-year deal, and he’s the franchise goaltender across four or five seasons.
Remember, Cossa is only 21, so in this case, he would become the top guy in the net between age 26 and 27, but even before that, the upstart goaltender can eat away at Saros’ time at a slow, steady pace as the latter ages. Ideally, this would mean a frontloaded contract for Saros, and it would give the Red Wings a pair of outstanding goaltenders to go with a high-scoring team.
Let’s not get bold and say that in a year or two, bringing in Saros would simultaneously bring a Cup back to Detroit. But their chances of winning it all would be at their highest since the 2008-09 season, the last time they earned a trip to the Final.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)