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Ville Husso

Minor Transactions: 3/7/25

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Similarly to the NHL, AHL playoff rosters are also due today before the trade deadline. Any player currently rostered in the AHL is eligible for the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, regardless of a future call-up. Today’s list will continue to grow until the 3 p.m. deadline.

  • According to a team announcement, the Dallas Stars have reassigned defenseman Lian Bichsel to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. Although the reassignment came with a formal announcement from the team, it should only serve as a paper transaction for Bichsel to ensure he’s eligible for the Calder Cup playoffs. The rookie defenseman has scored two goals and three assists in 20 games for the Stars this season, averaging 14:54 of ice time per night. He’s made his presence known by averaging over four hits a game, but he’s been on the wrong end of some highlight videos early in his NHL career. Dallas confirmed it as a paper transaction later, recalling Bichsel quickly after the deadline.
  • As alluded to yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers have confirmed the reassignment of netminder Aleksei Kolosov to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Given that he’s been Philadelphia’s third-string option for much of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kolosov’s reassignment extend beyond the trade deadline. The second-year netminder has a 4-8-1 record in 15 games with the Flyers this season with a .870 SV% and 3.45 GAA. His performance hasn’t been any better with AHL Lehigh Valley as he’s recorded a 2-4-1 record in seven AHL contests with a .874 SV% and 3.59 GAA.
  • The Calgary Flames are making Adam Klapka available to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, for the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, per a team report. Similarly to Kolosov, this reassignment may extend through the deadline. Klapka has spent much of the year in AHL Calgary, scoring 13 goals and 25 points in 31 contests. He’s been far less utilized by the Flames, registering one goal in 13 contests and averaging 8:10 of ice time per game.
  • According to Andy Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey, the San Jose Sharks are expected to reassign defenseman Jimmy Schuldt and Jack Thompson to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. As a minor contextual update, Max Miller of The Hockey News believes Thompson’s reassignment is a paper transaction to make him eligible for the AHL postseason. Despite low scoring output, Thompson has been an effective defenseman for the Sharks this season, averaging a 92.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength, the best on the team among defensemen with more than 20 games played.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they’ve reassigned forward Joseph Labate to their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters. As one of the most feel-good stories of the 2024-25 campaign, Labate took the ice in the NHL for the first time in eight years this season. The 31-year-old winger had spent the last several years bouncing around on AHL contracts with a one-year pitstop in the KHL. He scored six goals and 13 points in 33 games with AHL Cleveland before being elevated to an NHL contract with the Blue Jackets.
  • After announcing that defenseman Colton Parayko would miss the next six weeks due to a knee injury, the St. Louis Blues were expected to make a recall on defense. The team announced that recall this morning, sharing that they’ve brought up Matthew Kessel from their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Phoenix, AZ native has already spent time as a seventh defenseman for the Blues this season, tallying three assists in 27 games while averaging 13:05 of ice time per game.
  • Strictly as a paper move, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Chicago Blackhawks have reassigned forward Colton Dach and defenseman Ethan Del Mastro to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. Both players will remain in the Blackhawks’ lineup for the rest of the season before they are returned to AHL Rockford at the end of the season, should they qualify for the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs. Dach has scored two goals and six points in 18 games with Chicago, while Del Mastro has registered two goals and three points in 12 contests.
  • As expected, the Detroit Red Wings have placed forward Carter Mazur on injured reserve one day after his debut. Mazur suffered a dislocated elbow approximately one minute into his NHL career, and he’s likely done for the regular season. In a corresponding transaction, the Red Wings have recalled forward Dominik Shine from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. Shine is only a couple of weeks removed from signing the first NHL contract of his career, tallying one assist in four games for Detroit in late January.
  • The Montreal Canadiens announced they’ve reassigned forward Owen Beck and goaltender Jakub Dobes to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, for eligibility in the Calder Cup playoffs. Beck has been an extremely effective forward for the Rocket this year, scoring 13 goals and 32 points in 47 games. Meanwhile, Dobes has made a name for himself in Montreal, managing a 6-2-1 record in 10 games with a .909 SV% and 2.63 GAA, including one shutout.
  • The Los Angeles Kings aren’t entirely sold on Brandt Clarke’s future with the team. A report from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN this morning indicated the Kings were shopping Clarke on the trade market, and they’ve now reassigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, along with Samuel Helenius (Twitter Link). Both players should be back on the NHL roster tomorrow, with the move signifying they’ll be eligible for the AHL postseason. Still, it’s a notable development as it indicates Los Angeles may want Clarke in the AHL for the Reign’s postseason run rather than their own.
  • According to a team announcement, the Carolina Hurricanes have reassigned defenseman Riley Stillman to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Stillman filled in for Dmitry Orlov in last night’s contest but didn’t make it through the full game due to getting his face cut by a skate. He finished last night’s contest against the Boston Bruins with zero points after skating in 18 seconds of the game’s action.
  • In addition to Schuldt and Thompson, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News shares that the Sharks have reassigned defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin and forward Collin Graf to AHL San Jose. They’re both expected back on the Sharks’ roster later today or tomorrow, but the roster move will make them eligible for the AHL postseason. Mukhamadullin and Graf have both spent much of the year with the Barracuda. In short order, Pashelka reports the Sharks have recalled both players back to the NHL roster.
  • Due to another injury to netminder John Gibson on Wednesday, the Anaheim Ducks were expected to recall another goaltender. Anaheim announced they’ve recalled Ville Husso from their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, to fill the void left by Gibson. It’s Husso’s first call-up with the Ducks since being acquired from the Red Wings on February 24th. He posted a 1-5-2 record in nine games in Detroit this season with a .866 SV% and 3.69 GAA.
  • For the fifth time this year, the New York Rangers have assigned defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Ruhwedel has primarily played for AHL Hartford this season in his first extended stay in the AHL since 2016-17. The veteran defenseman has recorded three goals and 12 points in 36 contests with a +8 rating.
  • After a flurry of trade activity over the last couple of days, the Seattle Kraken are making a small roster move for the benefit of their AHL roster. The Kraken announced they’ve reassigned forwards Jacob Melanson and Ben Meyers to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and have recalled John Hayden in a corresponding transaction. The former debuted in the NHL last night, notching four hits and one takeaway in 9:53 of ice time.
  • In a major boost to their playoff chances, the AHL’s Providence Bruins will have several players available for the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs. Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports the Boston Bruins have papered down Marat Khusnutdinov, Vinni Lettieri, Patrick Brown, Ian Mitchell, Riley Tufte, and Matthew Poitras to the AHL for their postseason eligibility. All six players are expected back on the Bruins roster by this evening or tomorrow morning.
  • As expected, the Buffalo Sabres have papered down forward Jiří Kulich to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Kulich has been an impressive player for AHL Rochester over the last few seasons and should continue to be in the postseason. He’s scored 53 goals and 94 points in 123 games on the Americans’ roster.  Later in the day, the Americans announced that forwards Isak Rosen and Joshua Dunne were recalled on an emergency basis so they won’t count toward the post-deadline limit.
  • According to a team announcement, the Edmonton Oilers have returned defenseman Cam Dineen to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, from his emergency recall. Unlike many of the roster moves on today’s list, Dineen has a solid chance of playing the remainder of the year with AHL Bakersfield. The 26-year-old defenseman has scored five goals and 29 points in 45 games for the Condors this season while only registering one game with the Oilers.
  • In addition to recalling Emil Andrae, the Philadelphia Flyers are also making two more player recalls to their NHL roster. The team announced they’ve recalled forwards Olle Lycksell and Rodrigo Abols to the NHL roster for Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Abols has scored one goal and one assist in nine games for the Flyers this season, while Lycksell has gone scoreless in six contests.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have joined in on the mix of teams ensuring their top prospects are eligible for the AHL playoffs. They have assigned defenseman Victor Mancini, forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and goaltender Arturs Silovs to the AHL. Lekkerimaki has three points in 12 NHL games this season, while Mancini didn’t manage any scoring in his sole appearance with the Canucks so far. Silovs has operated as the team’s third-string goalie and has a 1-6-1 record and .858 save percentage on the year.  All three players were subsequently recalled soon after the deadline.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Jack St. Ivany from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis.  The 25-year-old has played in 19 games with Pittsburgh this season, recording one assist while averaging 16:22 of playing time per game.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Anaheim Ducks Acquire Ville Husso From Detroit Red Wings

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The Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings have connected on a goaltending trade. Both teams have announced that the Ducks have acquired netminder Ville Husso from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations. Anaheim confirmed that Husso will report to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls.

Although netminder John Gibson had recently succumbed to an upper-body injury, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that wasn’t Anaheim’s motivation for the trade. Gibson’s recovery timeline is still considered day-to-day with no reports indicating otherwise.

It appears Husso will remain in the same role as he had with Detroit this season. The former seventh-place finisher in Vezina Trophy voting (2021-22) has been deployed as a third-string option for the Red Wings this year albeit an expensive one.

That’s likely behind Detroit’s motivation for the trade. Although Husso is only owed around $1.3MM in actual salary for the remainder of the regular season, the move clears approximately $3.5MM from the Red Wings’ salary cap table giving them plenty of flexibility for next Friday’s trade deadline should they look to acquire additional talent.

Despite opening up a decent chunk of cap space, this couldn’t have been the future general manager Steve Yzerman sought for Husso when he acquired the netminder from the St. Louis Blues for a third-round pick in 2022. The year before donning the winged wheel for the first time, Husso posted a 25-7-6 record with a .919 save percentage and 2.56 goals-against average in 38 starts for St. Louis.

Largely due to a poorer defense in front of him after he transitioned to the Red Wings, Husso failed to replicate his stellar play from the 2021-22 campaign. Throughout two and a half seasons in Detroit, Husso will finish his Red Wings tenure with a 36-32-11 record in 82 starts with a .892 SV%, 3.26 GAA, and a horrid -25.6 goals saved above average according to Hockey Reference.

Yzerman lost faith in Husso before this season, sending the Finnish netminder through waivers in early October. In his first multi-game stay in the AHL, Husso has managed an 8-4-0 record in 13 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, along with a .912 SV% and 2.70 GAA.

He’ll join a tandem in San Diego who could use serious improvement. The combination of Oscar Dansk and Calle Clang has given the Gulls an average of .885 SV% and 3.46 GAA, and the latter is expected to be out with a longer-term injury. Should Husso continue the solid play he displayed with the Griffins this season, San Diego may have a fighting chance at playoff positioning down the stretch.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the trade.

Detroit Red Wings Reassign Ville Husso

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Now that Alex Lyon has fully recovered from his upper-body injury and is expected to start tonight against the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings no longer require three goaltenders on the active roster. On the chopping block is netminder Ville Husso, who the team announced has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

After passing through waivers unscathed at the beginning of the season, Husso is only one game away from needing waivers for reassignment again. There’s little chance he’s claimed given his subpar play this season and relatively high salary of $4.75MM but any team can become desperate for a goaltender at a moment’s notice.

Still, whether he departs via the waiver wire or unrestricted free agency, Husso is likely entering the last several weeks of his tenure with the Red Wings organization. Detroit acquired Husso as a restricted free agent from the St. Louis Blues in 2022 for a 2022 third-round pick and quickly signed him to a three-year, $14.25MM contract on the same day.

The Red Wings likely had high hopes for Husso to stabilize the team’s production between the pipes given he had just managed a 25-7-6 record in 38 starts for St. Louis with a .919 save percentage. Unfortunately, partly due to the poor defensive play in front of him, Husso has fallen well short of expectations in Hockeytown.

Over 82 starts in Detroit including eight this season, Husso has amassed a 36-32-11 record with the Red Wings with a .892 SV% and 3.26 goals-against average. According to Hockey Reference, despite some blame being laid at the feet of the team’s defense, Husso has produced a more than disappointing -25.6 goals saved above the average line and 3.34 adjusted goals against average.

For what it’s worth — Husso has been more productive at the AHL level, earning a 6-1-0 record over eight games in AHL Grand Rapids, with a .935 SV% and two shutouts. This may give a goalie-needy team confidence he can rebound under the right environment at the NHL level, but it’ll be difficult to gloss over his uninspiring play with Detroit.

Red Wings Recall Ville Husso, Place Jeff Petry On IR

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After Alex Lyon left last night’s game against Ottawa after one period due to an upper-body injury, it appears his availability for Friday’s contest versus Chicago is in some question.  The team announced (Twitter links) that goaltender Ville Husso has been recalled from AHL Grand Rapids.  To make room on the roster, defenseman Jeff Petry has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to January 2nd.

Husso is up with Detroit for the fifth time already this season after he cleared waivers back at the start of the season.  The 29-year-old has played in eight games with the Red Wings so far in 2024-25, putting up a 3.47 GAA and a .877 SV%, numbers that don’t come close to justifying his $4.75MM price tag on a contract that expires at the end of the season.

However, he has fared quite better in his limited action with the Griffins.  In eight appearances with them, Husso has a 1.86 GAA with a .935 SV% in his first taste of longer-term AHL time since the 2018-19 season.  He is very close to reaching 30 days on the NHL roster and when that threshold is reached (or if he plays in two more games in Detroit), he’ll need to pass through waivers again before he can be returned to Grand Rapids.

As for Petry, he has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury.  The 37-year-old has had a quiet season offensively, notching just one goal and five assists in his first 37 outings although he’s still averaging over 19 minutes a night of playing time.  The retroactive placement means he’ll have missed seven days before Friday’s matchup, meaning that he’ll be eligible to be activated as early as that game if he’s cleared to return.

Red Wings Assign Ville Husso To AHL

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Last season, the Red Wings primarily had three goaltenders on their roster, unwilling to run the risk of losing one through waivers.  They haven’t been willing to do so this year, however.  That continued today as the team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Ville Husso has been sent down to AHL Grand Rapids.

Husso cleared waivers early in the season and has primarily played with the Griffins.  However, with injuries lately to both Alex Lyon and Cam Talbot, the 29-year-old was seeing regular action with the big club, including six appearances this month.  Lyon was activated off injured reserve on Wednesday while Talbot was expected to return this weekend; this move indicates that Talbot will indeed be good to at least serve as the backup on Friday against Montreal.

Husso has played in eight NHL games overall this season, posting a 3.47 GAA with a .877 SV%.  However, he has fared much better in limited AHL action, compiling a 1.58 GAA with a .944 SV% in five outings with the Griffins.  A pending unrestricted free agent, Husso is heading for a significant drop on his current $4.75MM price tag but a good showing in the minors could help him land at least a one-way deal from someone this coming summer.  That said, playing time for him will likely be limited with Sebastian Cossa and Jack Campbell both in the fold.

With this move, the Red Wings now have one open roster spot.  Even with the roster freeze about to come into effect, that spot could still be filled by someone in the next few days.

Red Wings Notes: Lyon, Husso, Kane, Guimond

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Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon sustained an undisclosed injury during Wednesday’s morning skate and is unavailable tonight against the Flames, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports. Ville Husso was recalled from AHL Grand Rapids and will serve as Cam Talbot’s backup against the latter’s former team.

It’s a tough break for Lyon, who had stopped 49 of 52 shots in his last two outings en route to a pair of wins, a 1.50 GAA and a .942 SV%. The 31-year-old has only made three appearances since the start of November due to a lower-body injury, although it’s unclear if today’s tweak is related to that previous ailment.

Lyon, a pending UFA, has been strong overall in his second season in Hockeytown. The Minnesota native has a 4-4-0 record in eight starts and one relief appearance, adding a .911 SV% and 2.74 GAA with one shutout. He’s saved 2.5 goals above average, up from last year’s 1.1 mark in a career-high 44 games.

Husso, the No. 3 option for Detroit between the pipes, is in the final season of his ill-advised three-year, $14.25MM contract. He’s made two appearances for the Red Wings this season amid lengthy reassignments to Grand Rapids, allowing seven goals on 37 shots for an 0-2-0 record and .811 SV%. Since arriving in Detroit in 2022, he’s posted a 35-29-9 record but has a subpar .893 SV% and -22.1 GSAA. To his credit, the 29-year-old Finn has been exceptional in the minors, logging a .944 SV% and 1.58 GAA in five showings for Grand Rapids.

More from the Red Wings:

  • Right-winger Patrick Kane will miss his second straight game tonight with an upper-body injury, head coach Derek Lalonde told Ansar Khan of MLive.com. It’s been a tough season for the future Hall of Famer, who remains day-to-day and has only three goals and 10 points in 20 outings. With the absences, he’s now on pace for just 12 goals and 40 points, each checking in as career-lows even including shortened seasons. The 36-year-old signed a one-year, $4MM extension with $2.5MM in potential performance bonuses in June.
  • Detroit goalie prospect Rudy Guimond has jumped from the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders to the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, becoming the latest player to take advantage of the NCAA’s new eligibility rules for major junior players. Guimond was a sixth-round pick of the Red Wings in 2023 and is committed to Yale for the 2025-26 season. It’s been a tough showing for Guimond since he was drafted, logging a porous .871 SV% and 3.53 GAA in 38 USHL games for Cedar Rapids after being selected out of prep school.

Red Wings Recall Ville Husso Under Emergency Conditions

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The Red Wings announced they’ve recalled Ville Husso from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions. Summoning the netminder indicates that either Alex Lyon or Cam Talbot is at risk of being unavailable for this evening’s game against the Maple Leafs. However, the team hasn’t disclosed who might be out or why.

Husso, 29, started Detroit’s season opener against the Penguins but allowed four goals on 14 shots and was pulled from the game early in the second period. That poor showing put a quick end to the Wings’ brief three-goalie rotation experiment for this season, as he was placed on waivers the following weekend and was subsequently assigned to Grand Rapids.

The Finnish netminder was on a short leash after a tough stretch of play last season. He managed a .893 SV% in 18 appearances to start 2023-24 before sustaining a lower-body injury that put him on the shelf for over a month. After a brief conditioning assignment with Grand Rapids, he attempted to return. However, he allowed a goal on seven shots against the Oilers on Feb. 13 before being pulled from the game with a reaggravation of his injury less than nine minutes in. Husso got another brief AHL conditioning stint at the end of the season but never suited up again for Detroit due to the ailment.

The Red Wings haven’t gotten the level of play out of Husso they anticipated when they acquired his signing rights from the Blues in 2022 and subsequently inked him to a three-year, $14.25MM extension. In 76 appearances for the Wings, he has a 35-28-9 record but has poor numbers to support it with a .894 SV%, 3.25 GAA, four shutouts, and -21.3 GSAA. They’re in the home stretch of that deal, which carries a $4.75MM cap hit ($3.6MM when he’s in the minors) and expires next summer.

If there’s a silver lining, Husso has been lights out in brief action for Grand Rapids this season. He has a .958 SV%, 1.23 GAA, a shutout, and a 2-0-0 record in three appearances.

Red Wings Recall Austin Watson, Assign Ville Husso

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Detroit Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso has officially cleared waivers, making him eligible to be assigned to the minor leagues. In a corresponding move, Detroit also recalled forward Austin Watson. Watson is expected to step into the lineup on Monday with forward Christian Fischer dealing with a day-to-day, upper-body injury.

Watson has built a name for himself as one of the league’s final true grinders. He recorded 307 penalty minutes in 175 games over the last three seasons, the seventh-most of any NHL forwards in that span. He climbed that leaderboard while filling a bottom-line role for the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning, with minimal scoring along the way – totaling just 31 points since 2021-22. Detroit marks Watson’s fourth NHL team, after starting his career by spending 10 years, 515 games, and 705 penalty minutes with the Nashville Predators.

While Watson tries to return to the role of NHL fourth-line grinder that he’s become used to, Husso will prepare for his first extended stint in the minors since the 2019-20 season. He’s been a full-time NHL goalie ever since – save for one conditioning game last year. Husso started in Detroit’s season opener this year but got pulled for Cam Talbot after allowing four goals on 14 shots. That was all it took to become the odd man out among Talbot and Alex Lyon. He won’t get any clearer of a path to minutes in Grand Rapids, where top Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa has continued to perform strong as the unrivaled starter. Cossa has managed a .913 save percentage in each of the last three seasons – coming in the WHL, ECHL, and AHL respectively – and started this season off with two strong games this weekend. Grand Rapids’ goaltending situation will be worth monitoring through the short term, as the Griffins try to decide between their top pro prospect and the priciest goalie on Detroit’s payroll.

Red Wings Place Ville Husso On Waivers

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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.

Morning Notes: Red Wings, Lardis, Offer Sheets

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Expect the Red Wings to open the season once again with three goalies on their opening night roster, writes Max Bultman of The Athletic.

As general manager Steve Yzerman has said this offseason, there’s a lot of waiver math that will factor into what Detroit’s 23-player list looks like when rosters are due Oct. 7. Unless a prospect forces their hand, they’ll turn in the combination of players that requires exposing the least amount of talent to the wire – likely resulting in three goalies and eight defensemen opening night without an extra forward.

“There was no indication in [rookie camp in] Traverse City” that fringe forward prospects Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, or Carter Mazur were close to winning out a roster spot, Bultman said, although they’ll still get some looks during the preseason. If they do make a waiver placement to free up a roster spot for one of the three or PTO candidate Austin Watson, though, expect it to be netminder Ville Husso, he added. The 29-year-old is coming off an injury-plagued season that limited him to 19 games played with a .892 SV% and a 9-5-2 record. That would allow them to avoid placing defense prospect Albert Johansson on waivers, who’ll likely start the season in the NHL now that he’s no longer waiver-exempt.

More from around the league this morning:

  • While not a candidate for a roster spot just yet, Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis is impressing this month, The Athletic’s Scott Powers writes. “…When it comes to the future, no player may have done as much to build expectations as Lardis in recent weeks,” said Powers. “What Lardis has shown with his shot, quickness and hockey IQ in the last two weeks has Chicago management even more excited for his eventual NHL arrival.” Lardis, a 19-year-old left winger, will return to the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs for his fourth season of junior hockey after recording 29 goals and 50 points in only 37 games there last year. He was a third-round pick (No. 67 overall) by Chicago in 2023.
  • Opinions around the league are mixed on whether the Blues’ successful acquisition of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway will lead to an uptick in future summers, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. Player agents were far more optimistic, with Octagon’s Allan Walsh telling LeBrun that “the barn door has been opened” and that “we’ll certainly be seeing more of them going forward.” GMs Tom Fitzgerald (Devils), Bill Guerin (Wild), Ron Francis (Kraken), and Jim Nill (Stars) all countered with “it’s part of the business”-type sentiments, saying not to expect a material change in how often offer sheets are levied.

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