10/8: Husso has cleared waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. That will open the door for Husso to take on the starting role for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. He has posted 66 wins and a .909 save percentage in 152 career appearances in the AHL.
10/7: The Anaheim Ducks have placed goaltender Ville Husso on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The move cuts the Ducks roster to two goalies – Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek – with a few days left before opening night. Anaheim signed Husso to a two-year, $4.4MM contract extension in late June. Should he make it to the minor leagues, he would only carry a $1.05MM hit against Anaheim’s cap.
It’s no surprise to see Husso back on the waiver wire. He was waived by the Detroit Red Wings almost exactly one year ago, after starting their season with a 1-5-2 record and .866 save percentage in nine games. He moved to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and started to bounce back, marked by an 8-4-0 record and .912 save percentage in 13 games.
That was enough to catch the eye of a Ducks, who had lost goalie prospects Calle Clang and Tomas Suchanek to knee injuries. Anaheim acquired Husso in exchange for future considerations in February, and initially kept him in the minor-leagues. He suited up for nine games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, posting seven wins and a team-best .907 save percentage. When Anaheim lost John Gibson to injury in March and April, Husso stood as their go-to call-up, helping him push into four games at the end of Anaheim’s season. Husso was surprisingly sharp in the small sample, posting a .925 save percentage – higher than any of his prior seasons in the NHL.
With stout play at both levels, Anaheim opted to sign Husso to a more manageable cap hit this summer. Speaking about the deal, and about trading Gibson to Detroit, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek told Derek Lee of The Hockey News that Husso offers a helpful bit of veteran reliability. He said:
If we have any injuries up top, it allows to be able to call that third goaltender up to support (Dostal or Mrazek). It also allows San Diego to have a good goaltender to carry a lot of the load and allow our younger guys to keep maturing
Goalies have been a popular commodity on the waiver wire. Each of Pheonix Copley, Cayden Primeau, and Colten Ellis have already been claimed by new teams. That means there’s no guarantee that Husso will fall through 31 other teams. If he does, he’ll be the clear starter for the San Diego Gulls, operating ahead of Suchanek and Clang.
I will never understand wth Verbeek was thinking not only extending Husso AFTER acquiring Mrazek, but giving him a $2.2 AAV for 2-years after that brutal season he had? I understand they had cap to burn this year but with all these extensions they’re handing out, they could have used that extra $2.2 next year.
@stu. What was Verbeek thinking exactly what he did he overpaid so he wouldn’t get claimed, and that’s what happened.
Brett Leason would have been a better investment.
Ducks are locked in! Young guns are taking a step and Quenneville is a genius. Now they’re solid enough to ditch Gibson’s 15 GSAx for Mrazek’s -14 GSAx. I’m super excited to watch the 30th team in scoring who gave up more shot attempts than anyone in the league supported by a dreadful backup.
@Fargo chopper. Ducks save a year from Gibson’s contract. Mzarek and husso sucked and came from Detroit what does that say about the defense. Husso came to Anaheim and had .925 save percentage. Also I cant remember that last time the ducks had a goalie problem because they haven’t, and goalie’s normal bounce back.
What does that say about the defense?
No team allowed more shot attempts than the Ducks last season.
What does that say about the defense?
@fargo chipper. It’s literally one shot more, Im willing to bet it’s more blown coverages. Because the goaltending numbers haven’t really taken a hit in Anaheim.
There’s a number of teams that could really benefit from rolling the dice on Husso.
I look at Vladar-Ersson in Philly, and Husso is an upgrade on at least one of them.
Husso has had a very interesting career. Clearly teams see some upside in him.
It’s kind of amazing that it has taken this long for teams to realize that they might actually need to have/pay 3-4 NHL-caliber goaltenders in the system.