They say that too much of a good thing can often be bad. In the case of NHL goaltenders, though, it cuts both ways. The Detroit Red Wings quickly realized this when marquee prospect Sebastian Cossa lost his starting role in the AHL to undrafted signee Michal Postava. They realized that, while Cossa carried some serious promise, there wasn't really a pathway for him to start for the Red Wings anytime soon.
Thus, the Red Wings shipped Cossa off to the Utah Mammoth.
If you thought that doing so would open up a spot for Postava in the NHL, though, you were sorely mistaken. The Red Wings used that opening to sign Danila Tarasov, a promising younger netminder from the Florida Panthers, to serve as the team's backup in 2026-27.
There's no doubt that there's a logjam between the pipes. But where does that leave the Red Wings today? And how can the new general manager find their way out of this flux?
Red Wings need progress in pipeline
The biggest issue currently facing the goaltending pipeline is the logjam of players. Gibson and Tarasov, barring a move, appear to be the de facto starter and backup with the Red Wings. That, in turn, leaves Michal Postava and up-and-comer Trey Augustine to assume netminding duties in Grand Rapids, right?
Well, like all things Red Wings, it's never that simple.
The Red Wings recently extended prospect Carter Gylander, giving the 25-year-old a one-year, two-way extension. Gylander played the vast majority of last season with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, posting a .901 save percentage and a 20-9-5 record with a 2.78 goals against average.
During a brief stint with the Griffis, however, he exploded with a jaw-dropping .942 save percentage, 7-0-1 record and a 1.62 goals against average. While a small sample size, it reveals that Gylander has far more in the tank than initially anticipated.
This, in turn, creates a conundrum of its own.
Red Wings inevitably need to move a young goaltender
Despite trading Cossa, the Red Wings still sport one of, if not the, best goaltending pipeline in the NHL. The problem is that there just isn't enough room for this sheer number of promising goaltenders with the Red Wings -- especially now that Tarasov is in the mix.
The Red Wings will ultimately need to either move or move on from a young goaltender. In an ideal world, they successfully ship one of Postava or Gylander to another team and recoup a prospect of a similar caliber. In this timeline, Augustine assumes (or splits) starting duties in Grand Rapids, eventually making his way to the NHL in a season or two.
Sooner or later, though, something has to give. Sitting on a prospect for too long is how Sebastian Cossa was mismanaged into oblivion. To do so with all of Augustine, Postava and Gylander would be malpractice.
In order to find the goaltender of the future, they're going to have to move a goaltender at some point this season. All signs point to one of John Gibson, Michal Postava or Carter Gylander.
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