The Red Wings can't repeat their mistakes

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice (or even three times), you might just be the Detroit Red Wings. 

After shipping out top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa in favor of forward J.P. Hulbert, Detroit finds itself at another crossroads. 

Currently, Detroit's goaltending duties are shared by two guys who likely aren’t part of the long-term plans in Hockeytown. Yet, as of right now, these two are the priority for the Red Wings.

Their determination to prioritizing veterans is preventing them from moving forward. Whether it’s not paying their second-pair defensemen or former a prospect carving out a role on the East Coast after not getting a look in Detroit, the Red Wings are falling behind fast. 

Red Wings would be wise to change their ways with Postava

Michal Postava is a unique acquisition, signing as a free agent and stealing the starting job with the Grand Rapids Griffins in his first season in North America. 

Picking up right where he left off last season, Postava (or Postada Tostada as my wonderful mom called him) has cemented himself as a legitimate candidate to be a future goaltender in Detroit. It’s a tall task considering the last Red Wings top goalie prospect (Sebastian Cossa) made one regular season relief appearance before the organization traded him.

Cossa had some of the highest of highs in a Griffins uniform, but he always chased consistency. He was (and remains) an athletic goaltender who can make jaw-dropping saves. Yet, leaky goals found him a bit too often for Detroit’s comfort -- especially when they had a chance to draft a high-offensive ceiling player in Hulbert.

Postava shares the athleticism Red Wings and Griffins fans love about Cossa, yet Postava is a bit more refined. Maybe, a bit more confident and emotionally stable in games. Postava just plays his game—seemingly unaffected by things outside of his control.

From the first game this season, Postava has been locked in. 

Postava showing his stuff at the pro level

Although his three games is a super small sample size, it’s a continuation of last season's success. Postava finished the 2025-26 season with a 1.71 goals against (GAA) and .937 save percentage (SV%) with a 17-6-0 record over 25 games while boasting four shutouts. In the playoffs his numbers fell ever so slightly, as numbers so often do, to a 2.09 GAA with a .912 GAA and 4-4-0 record (and one shutout) over eight games played. 

So far this season, Postava has continued his dominance of the American Hockey League (AHL):

Players in front of Postava are confident, something a bit foreign to Detroit this season.

In three games (as of October 15), Postava has recorded a stingy 1.34 GAA and an eye-popping .950 GAA with a 3-0-0 record. He’s still playing his game, and his team is staying in games that they have no business being close in. It’s a stark contrast to last season where the Griffins dominated from seemingly the start until the playoffs (with only a bump or two along the way).

In plenty of other organizations, Postava (and even Cossa) would have played in the NHL (at least for a handful of games, if not with decent regularity). More often than not, injuries factor in when goalies get their chances. However, with the way that both Postava and Cossa played over the last season and a half, coupled with the struggles the Wings have had in their own net, it’s almost mind-boggling they don’t even offer their prospects an opportunity.

Of course, these decisions all came under the old regime. 

New regime offers new opportunities for players

Under Steve Yzerman, Cossa had to prove he was a starter where he was to take the bulk of the games—60 or more games were anticipated— in Grand Rapids but things changed toward the end of the season as Postava ran away with the starting goaltender role without looking back. 

It’s possible, likely even, that the Red Wings plan to run Postava as the Grand Rapids starter and see if he can handle the roughly 60 to 65 starts that Cossa was expected to start last season. In an ideal world, that’s how every player would find their way to the NHL. Prove at a lower level exactly what they’re capable of and for how long, then advance to the higher level.

Yet, there’s a benefit to allowing players to take steps to the next level well before they’ve masted the AHL. 

We can look no further Anton Johansson, who is endearing himself to Red Wings fans, the coaching staff. and even a player who has both feet firmly out the door in Detroit; as strange as it is to say, Dylan Larkin started following the young Swede on Instagram recently.

While he could have started with the Grand Rapids Griffins, it would have been unnecessary (at least thus far into his early NHL career). His body of work based on previous seasons, coupled with the opportunity presented in preseason, made it clear that Johansson belongs in the NHL.

It’s fantastic that he earned his spot, but it’s impossible to earn a spot when an opportunity is never given to a player like Cossa. After a record-breaking start to the season, the Red Wings just couldn’t find a way to bring him up for even a cup of coffee in the NHL.

If Postava keeps on the same path this season, the Wings may run the risk of losing Postava the same way they lost Cossa. 

Much like last season, John Gibson is starting the season slowly. One can hope that Gibson’s game picks up again. With the new system head coach Todd McLellan has implemented and all the new faces (especially on defense), it’s possible that Gibson just needs time to adjust.

At the same time, Tarasov has shown what’s possible—even when facing the same challenges.

If Gibson continues to struggle, management will have to find a way to bring Postava up and give him his well-deserved playing time with the Detroit Red Wings.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow