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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.

By Todd Matthews

Detroit Red Wings v Nashville Predators
Detroit Red Wings v Nashville Predators / Brett Carlsen/GettyImages
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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. 

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