The Detroit Red Wings have placed goaltender Ville Husso on waivers for the purpose of a loan to the AHL, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Husso is in the final year of a three-year, $14.25MM contract signed with Detroit in the summer of 2022. His $4.75MM cap hit is tied for the eighth-highest in Detroit.
Detroit’s plan to carry three goaltenders has been clear since they signed Cam Talbot to a two-year, $5MM contract on July 1st. Talbot joined a room already rife with competition between Alex Lyon and Husso. Lyon has been the odd-man-out in the early going, standing as the only Wings goalie to not yet start a game. Husso wasn’t inspiring in the matchup he received, allowing four goals on 14 shots and getting pulled for Talbot. That weak performance seems to be the spark behind his waiving today, despite Husso’s .940 save percentage through three pre-season games suggesting some upside.
The Red Wings will now move forward with Cam Talbot as their clear-cut starter, rewarding his 54 saves on 56 shots (.964) through two games so far. Lyon will step up as the team’s backup just a few months removed from winning the starting role over Husso, recording 21 wins and a .904 in 44 games last season. Meanwhile, Husso’s path to ice time won’t become any clearer if he heads to the minor leagues, with Grand Rapids currently led by top prospect Sebastian Cossa. Cossa managed one win and 64 saves on 68 shots (.941) through Grand Rapids’ first two games of the season this weekend, and has posted a .913 save percentage in each of the last three seasons. Even pitted against the near-$5MM man that is Husso, it’d be hard to award starts to any other Griffins goalie – only increasing the excitement around Detroit’s crowded goalie room.
Move (in addition to Husso’s horrible opening night performance) is likely predicated on him needing get his timing back since he hasn’t played a NHL game since December. If he can’t show he’s NHl capable any more it’s at least the last season of his contract…
McFarland on the phone yet?
Yzerplan going as planned I see…
He was good in preseason, but can’t get it up when it counts.
I am not a Husso fan. Whatever his problems were he damaged the team last year and the staff kept him as starter way too many games. Fast forward to first game this season. It sticks in my throat to say this but Husso for the most part stood on his head behind a sound asleep defensive zone coverage. Some of the worst D zone work I’ve seen in 4 seasons. It should have been a 9 – 3 loss or worse but for some of the saves by Husso. Maybe his contract or other business reasons have pushed him to the waiver wire, but that Pittsburgh game shouldn’t have been the reason.
Futher, the Nashville game saw an improvement in D zone coverage but the goal tending again saved their bacon. Still they need a lot of work as 42 shots is a lot of work for any goalie.
Shots:
Detroit Red Wings: 8-10-4 = 22
Nashville Predators: 16-12-14 = 42