Two goaltenders the Detroit Red Wings should look to pair with Alex Lyon
The standings are incredibly tight in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference, leaving little room for error. The Detroit Red Wings must consider upgrading their goaltending situation if they hope to qualify for the postseason.
The Detroit Red Wings find themselves right in the thick of the wild-card chase in the Eastern Conference after enduring an awful month of December. The Red Wings have been able to right the ship in January mostly due to the excellent play of goaltender Alex Lyon. Lyon has emerged as Detroit's top option in goal and is one start away from setting a personal career-high in a single season. Lyon has made 14 starts for the Red Wings this season, going 9-4-1 with a stellar .922 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average (both career bests). Last year for the Panthers, Lyon made 14 starts, producing a 9-4-2 record overall with a 2.89 GAA and .912 save percentage.
You could say that Lyon has single-handedly saved the Detroit Red Wings season, at least for the time being. Former starting goaltender Ville Husso had struggled to find his game for the majority of the season. Still, Husso had shown signs of being the goaltender general manager Steve Yzerman hoped he was getting before suffering an injury in December. Husso injured his leg in a contest against the Anaheim Ducks in mid-December and is considered week-to-week, which in Red Wings terms might as well mean month-to-month. The most recent update on Husso's injury status last week still suggests he will be out for a while longer. Head coach Derek Lalonde mentioned that he is still unable to go into the butterfly. That leaves Lyon to shoulder the load and James Reimer to spare him occasionally. It's a less-than-ideal situation for the Detroit Red Wings amid the playoff hunt for a few reasons.
The Detroit Red Wings must upgrade their goaltending if they hope to qualify for the postseason.
Lyon, 31, is on pace to annihilate his single-season appearances at the NHL level, so will his body and mind hold up down the stretch? We saw how well Husso played over the first half of the season last year before he began to break down physically and mentally down the stretch. Different players and different people, but there are some concerns regarding Lyon's durability; plus, although he's stood tall for the Detroit Red Wings, he's been overworked on a nightly basis. The second concern is simply put: Reimer hasn't been able to stop a beach ball since Detroit traveled to Sweden. The third concern is merely wondering which Husso the Red Wings will receive once he returns from injury. Will he be the guy he was during the first half of last season, or will he be the Husso we saw down the stretch last year and the majority of this season? Although the Red Wings can fill the net, they've struggled mightily on the defensive side of things and in goal until this recent stretch of spectacular play from Lyon.
Insurance is something we all hate buying, but man, it comes in handy when we need it. The same can be said in this instant for the Detroit Red Wings. Sure, Yzerman should upgrade Detroit's defense and add some insurance in goal.
Detroit needs to bridge the goaltending gap from the present day to whenever Sebastian Cossa and perhaps Trey Augustine are ready to man the cage. Cossa, 21, is enjoying his first full season at the AHL level, while Augustine is riding high following his World Junior Gold Medal and anchoring things for the Michigan State Spartans.
The Detroit Red Wings should trade for John Gibson.
Earlier this year, John Gibson had been my first choice regarding a potential upgrade in goal, but I've soured (a bit) on the idea over recent weeks. Gibson, 30, is 7-17-0 this season with the rebuilding Ducks and carries a cap number of $6.4 million annually through the 2025-26 season. Gibson has a career save percentage of .912 and a 2.84 goals-against average. However, things in Anaheim haven't been very good this year, and it's trickled down to the goaltending. Gibson has maintained a .900 save percentage and a 3.10 GAA.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek is a former teammate and assistant general manager to Steve Yzerman during his time in Tampa Bay and also with the Red Wings. Now, Verbeek is a professional and won't do Yzerman any favors, but if there is a deal to be made, sometimes it's in who you know and who you like. Take the St. Louis Blues, for example. Doug Armstrong and Yzerman have a great relationship that stems further than just the NHL. The two have worked together numerous times with Hockey Canada, and that friendly relationship has overflowed at the NHL level, leading to multiple trades between the two clubs.
If the Detroit Red Wings hope to add a player like Gibson, Detroit will need to send Husso the other way, plus a package of draft capital or prospects. A player that comes to mind is Jonatan Berggren. Will that be enough? Husso and Berggren for Gibson? Multiple teams are looking to upgrade the position, which will only increase the asking price. Maybe, but a mid-round draft pick to sweeten the pot might be required to get a deal done.
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I know Red Wings fans, like most fanbases, overvalue their prospects. Many readers won't want Detroit to part with Berggren, but obtaining a true No. 1 netminder without giving up anything. Berggren has struggled to carve out a role at the NHL level, and a change of scenery might not be the worst thing. It's like cashing out at the casino before donating all your money. Berggren still holds value, but where does he fit with Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, and Carter Mazur, among others, who are expected to have a role in Detroit in the future?
Take Gibson's numbers this season with a grain of salt. He's playing on a terrible team and would be the perfect player to pair with Lyon down the stretch. Husso's cap number sits at $4.75 million through next season.
Adding Gibson does come with some risk. He's been banged up this season and recently exited Thursday's contest against the Carolina Hurricanes with an upper-body injury. Still, it would be a move that would also stabilize the position for the next few seasons. A Lyon/Gibson tandem could propel the Detroit Red Wings into the postseason.
The Detroit Red Wings should trade for Jacob Markstrom.
Jacob Markstrom has quickly emerged as my favorite potential trade target if Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings want to upgrade the goaltender position.
Markstrom turns 34 later this month and is having another excellent season for the Flames. Calgary is in basically the same position as the Detroit Red Wings. They are a fringe playoff team, like Detroit, sitting fourth in the Wild Card race in the Western Conference. The Flames sit with 45 points through 43 games, two points behind the Edmonton Oilers, who control the second Wild Card spot, and a mere four points behind the Nashville Predators, currently in the first Wild Card spot.
The Detroit Red Wings totaled 47 points over 43 games and also sit fourth in the Wild Card race in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Islanders and trailing the Lightning by just two points.
Despite being right in the thick of things, the Flames are expected to become sellers ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, and one of their top trade chips is their veteran goaltender. Markstrom has posted a 13-11-2 record this season with one shutout. He's maintained a very good save percentage of .912 to pair with a 2.59 goals-against average. Both are near his career average. Like Gibson, Markstrom is under contract through the 2025-26 season at $6 million per season. He'd be a significant upgrade to Husso and someone the Detroit Red Wings could pair Lyon with for the remainder of this season and next. Lyon is signed through next season at a very team-friendly $900,000 per season.
Again, for a deal to be made, the Flames would need to have interest in Ville Husso. Husso turns 29 in February and would give Calgary an experienced netminder at a cheaper rate as they enter an expected rebuild. Of course, the Red Wings will need to add more to any potential trade package. Again, maybe Jonatan Berggren or perhaps one of Detroit's defense prospects. Calgary only has two regulars on the backend signed past this season (Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar). Defenseman and pending unrestricted free agent Noah Hanifin has publicly mentioned that he has no intention of signing a contract extension with the Flames. Maybe a deal that includes Husso, Albert Johansson, and some draft capital would be a good spot to start the trade conversations.
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