3 reasons the Red Wings must trade for Filip Gustavsson

Gustavsson has a very reasonable contract

Filip Gustavsson may have the best contract of all the younger goaltenders in the NHL this season. He has two years remaining, giving him a pair of seasons to prove himself to an organization that ultimately trades for him, and his AAV is a modest $3.75 million per season. 

For a team like the Red Wings, despite its current plethora of cap space, looking to re-sign and extend key players like Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane, and Moritz Seider, taking on a salary like Gustavsson’s won’t break the bank. Their overall cap space will inevitably shrink this offseason, so it may leave them with limited options in the goaltending market, but Gustavsson is one of the few exceptions. 

Since he has two seasons left on his contract, he also gives Detroit much-needed flexibility. They can sign him to an extension beginning in the 2025 offseason, or, as implied above, they can wait until 2026 should a trade occur. 

The only downside here is that Gustavsson won’t be a restricted free agent, so if the Red Wings acquired him and took the longer road, they would need to work out a deal before he hit the open market. Overall, however, there are far more ups than downs regarding Gustavsson’s contract, and if he doesn’t work out, Sebastian Cossa should be ready at that point.