John Gibson will miss at least one game for the Detroit Red Wings, but if he should be sidelined longer, prospect Sebastian Cossa is more than ready.
For the immediate concern – the game Wednesday, March 4, against the Vegas Golden Knights – Cam Talbot is scheduled to start with Cossa to serve as backup. Gibson is unavailable to play because of an upper-body injury, but took the ice in the morning.
“Gibson did skate today, he’s feeling much better than he did the other day, but not quite ready to go in this game,” coach Todd McLellan said after Wednesday’s morning skate at Little Caesars Arena. McLellan described Gibson as day-to-day.
Cossa, the team’s pick at No. 15 in the 2021 draft, was with the Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday when he was told to come to Detroit. He arrived Wednesday morning.
“It was nice to get on the ice with everyone and do a little pregame skate, so that was good,” Cossa said. “I was told to be ready for morning skate today and potentially back up tonight, so just ready for that.”
What Cossa, 23, really would like, of course, is to get into a second NHL game. His only appearance dates to Dec. 9, 2024, when he entered in relief in a game at the Buffalo Sabres and ended up collecting a victory in a shootout.
“That’s what I’m striving for for sure,” Cossa said. “I’ve had a successful year so far down there and I want to continue that for sure, but this is where I want to be.”
Cossa has been a key part of the Griffins’ AHL-best success this season (41-8-3), posting a 24-4-3 record with a 1.99 goals-against average, a 0.927 save percentage and five shutouts in 31 appearances with the Griffins. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound netminder was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for both November and December 2025, representing the Griffins at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic.
One of the biggest areas of his growth has been in his consistency.
“Looking back at past seasons, having strong starts or a strong finish, not being able to have that full season – that was a big, important thing for me this year to come in,” Cossa said. “There’s still been a couple blips, a game or two here and there, but for the most part, I feel like I have been more consistent.”
This is the last year Cossa is exempt from waivers, meaning the Wings have to place him on the roster next season. It would be good to see how he performs at the NHL level, but unless neither Gibson nor Talbot are available, it doesn’t sound like that is coming.
“We’ve seen him in a lot of games in the American League, he’s done a tremendous job working on his game down there, he’s led that team to a lot of wins,” McLellan said. “We’re in a situation where we’re trying to win as much as we possibly can, which may be different than three or four years ago here where you were looking at players and you were, in some sense, giving tryouts. We feel really, really good about Sebastian. If we need him, we’re ready to call him.
“There may be a chance that he gets an opportunity to play this year down the road, but right now we have the two that we’re confident in.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: John Gibson should return soon. What’s Wings’ plan for Sebastian Cossa?
Reporting by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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