Where does Ville Husso fit into Detroit's plan heading into 2024-25?

Ville Husso can throw a wrench into things (in a good way) when it comes to the Detroit Red Wings goaltending competition. Heading into training camp, Detroit appears eager and willing to carry three active netminders on their opening night roster. The Red Wings used the same method last season for fear of losing one of their experienced goalies to waivers in a league that suddenly sees a shortage of stable goaltending options. Forget the old 'franchise goaltender; while there are a few, most organizations roll with two or three players to share the workload.

It's funny how things go. Two summers ago, I was happy and very optimistic about what the Detroit Red Wings had in goal with Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic heading into the regular season. Then the wheels fell off, and Detroit needed to turn to a journeyman in Magnus Hellberg to make a few starts. Husso's first year with the Red Wings was a tale of two stories. The first half of his first season was excellent, and the second half was rough and ended in fatigue. Last year, Husso was more mentally and physically prepared to handle the robust workload asked of a no. 1 netminder. Still, again, it was more of the latter, with lackluster play followed by a string of injuries that derailed his season. That, mixed with a fatigued Alex Lyon, who also battled a few ailments over the course of the year, forced Detroit to turn to James Reimer more times than anyone would have liked to see.

I am certainly not opposed to keeping three netminders on the active roster; it just limits some positional flexibility. The Red Wings will need to carry eight defenders to begin the year, which means they will not have an extra forward on the active roster. The good news is that Grand Rapids isn't too far away. Take Austin Czarnik, for example. Over the last two years, he was primarily slated to be a Griffin, but as injuries mounted, the Red Wings used their fourth-line center for a good share of the year.

Detroit will head into camp with Husso, Lyon, and the recently signed Cam Talbot. The trio has plenty of NHL experience, which should translate to some healthy competition. The Red Wings also added veteran Jack Campbell as their no. 4 option. Campbell figures to split time with top prospect Sebastian Cossa in Grand Rapids and could serve as an experienced option in Detroit if injuries mount.

Ville Husso says he's 110% healthy and ready to go for the Detroit Red Wings.

Husso, 29, appeared in 19 games last season, posting a 3.55 goals-against average and a 0.892 save percentage.

“He’s going to need reps and he’s going to need live reps and obviously we’ll get some opportunity within practice, the Red/White game on Sunday, those exhibition games,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “It’s something we’re conscious of as a group with the (number) of goalies we have in rotating through. Ville, Cam and Alex have had really nice stretches in this league, proved they can win in this league, and we’ll look for one to step up,” Lalonde said. “Jack (Campbell) has obviously done that also. So, we have some numbers in camp, which is a little unique, but it’s a positive. I still look back to last year. We kept the three goalies around for a while. Wasn’t ideal. But it saved our season. So, it’s going to be a healthy competition. It’s going to be wide open and it’s a clean slate.”

Lalonde went on to say that if everyone remains healthy through camp and the preseason, the team will need to decide whether to move a goaltender via trade to free up a roster spot for a 13th forward or just roll with three goaltenders.

The challenge of carrying three netminders is managing their workload. It's difficult to get three netminders enough in-game action, and as the season wears on, you'd like to see one get hot and separate from the field, which really limits the no. 3 option. As of today (subject to change), I expect Talbot to win the 'starting' job, with Lyon serving as the primary backup, leaving Husso third on the pecking order.