Is Ville Husso positioning himself as a potential trade asset for the Detroit Red Wings? In this economy? I am just as surprised as you. While it remains a long shot, it's certainly worth considering.
On Saturday night in Detroit, Red Wings netminder Ville Husso secured his first win in over a calendar year. The Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 thanks to a valiant effort from an unlikely source, Jeff Petry. The veteran defender scored twice, his first two goals of the season. Petry netted the game's first goal, along with what would eventually be the game-winner.
Husso, 29, has been pressed into duty over the past couple of weeks as injuries in goal have plagued the Red Wings like last season. The Red Wings are without their top two options, Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon, both nursing lower-body injuries. Husso himself knows about being on the shelf with injuries far too much; the veteran goaltender has been tormented with a variety of injuries over the past two seasons, which is a large part of why Saturday's win had been the first in a year.
Before the game, Detroit's struggling star, Patrick Kane, admitted he needed to perform better in every aspect of the game. Kane said he needed to demand the puck and be more vigorous on the forecheck. Although he failed to score, Kane recorded an assist on Moritz Seider's goal, Kane's first point in ten games.
Are the Detroit Red Wings angling to trade Ville Husso ahead of the trade deadline?
Many Red Wings fans, myself included, hoped to see a lot more of Detroit's top prospect, Sebastian Cossa, after Talbot and Lyon suffered injuries. This is partly because Husso has performed so poorly with the Red Wings over the past two or more seasons. Let's face it: We are all intrigued by a new shiny toy. Cossa, the 6-foot-6 phenom, started his professional career slowly, forced to begin in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye after it was determined he wasn't comfortable making the jump from the juniors to the pros. Cossa started 46 games in 2022-23 for the Walleye, posting a 0.913 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against average. Last season, Cossa appeared in 40 games, with the Griffins posting a 22-9-9 record backed by a 0.913 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against average. The towering netminder is enjoying an encore performance this season with the Griffins, in the midst of a stellar season where he's posted a 0.922 save percentage and a 2.24 goals against average. He's off to a 10-5-1 start.
Instead of rolling with Cossa, Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde has opted to turn to Husso. Cossa's only NHL action came in Buffalo when he entered the game in the second period, relieving Husso, who struggled in the first frame. Cossa went on to make history, becoming the first NHL goaltender in history to win his NHL debut via a shootout in a relief effort. This begs the question: Does Lalonde know his job is in jeopardy? He is more comfortable playing a veteran goaltender rather than breaking in a rookie behind a team that has struggled defensively as Detroit has all season.
Or, was management involved in the decision to play Husso in hopes he can perform well enough to garner some attention around the league in hopes of trading the pending free agent before the deadline? Maybe Yzerman elected to call up Cossa in an attempt to create some buzz within the locker room and the fanbase, for that matter, since there hasn't been much good to speak of regarding this season to date. In fact, it's been a colossal disappointment in a variety of areas. Trading Husso becomes difficult but not impossible with his $4.75 million salary. As the year grows old, that number considerably decreases as the Red Wings will have paid a bunch of it already, plus they have the capability to retain salary if need be. The goaltender market in the NHL tends to be bleak. Suppose the Red Wings find themselves out of playoff contention in a month or so. In that case, Husso continues to perform well even if it's at the AHL level and a playoff-bound or fringe team suffers an injury and needs a backup for the duration of the season; they may just come calling the Red Wings. Detroit also has Alex Lyon, a pending UFA, on a team-friendly deal, but his asking price should be significantly higher. Neither will command a block-buster return, but if things keep trending downward in Detroit, a mid-to-late round pick is better than losing either for nothing. That said, it wouldn't shock anyone if Steve Yzerman tries to re-sign Lyon in hopes of pairing him with Talbot and Cossa next season.
Talbot did return, making a start in Philadelphia, but tweaked something again in Detroit's 4-1 loss and remains day-to-day. This time, instead of Cossa, the Detroit Red Wings elected to recall veteran Jack Campbell to serve as the backup behind Husso. The Red Wings don't return to the ice until Wednesday when they host the Flyers and hope to have Talbot back. In closing, although Husso's overall numbers are very poor this season (0.877/3.47), he's been much better over this last two-week stretch, particularly in his starts against Boston, Ottawa, Colorado, and Toronto. In limited action with the Griffins this season, Husso has maintained a 1.58 goals against average and a 0.944 save percentage, going 4-0-0, in five appearances.