Will goalie Sebastian Cossa’s tenure with the Detroit Red Wings consist of just one game played in their uniform?
That’s the subject of this mailbag, spurred by Cossa’s seemingly fading future with the team that drafted him in the first round five years ago. Free Press reader Pat L. wrote to ask, “What do you see happening with Cossa? Is he going to make the team next year?”
Cossa, 23, may not be with the Wings when next season starts. It isn’t just that he’s been riding the bench as the backup during the Grand Rapids Griffins’ run in the Calder Cup playoffs; there was a far more damning indictment of where he stands within the organization a month ago.
That’s when I asked Wings coach Todd McLellan about calling up Cossa to play in the last two games of the season − at that point, the Wings had been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Griffins had long since clinched a spot in the AHL playoffs, and had both Michal Postava and Trey Augustine available to play.
“There was no thought or anything,” McLellan said.
Ouch.
Instead, Cam Talbot played in what may have been his last game with the Wings on April 13 at the Tampa Bay Lightning, and John Gibson − whose play from Thanksgiving through mid-March was the top reason the Wings were in playoff contention − suffered the indignity of being in net for that atrocious 8-1 season-finale loss on April 15 at the Florida Panthers.
The fact the Wings haven’t wanted to take another look at Cossa at the NHL level since he played 45 minutes in relief of Vilel Husso on Dec. 9. 2024, winning in a shootout at the Buffalo Sabres, shows where they rank him as a prospect: not very high. That he didn’t see a single game in 2025-26 is especially telling because this is Cossa’s last season in which he is exempt from waivers.
The best solution, then, would be to trade him. If the organization doesn’t see Cossa as a viable option to spell Gibson next season, move on and give Cossa a chance to push for a foothold elsewhere. A 6 foot 6 goalie who has been a starter for three straight seasons in the AHL and posted save percentages of .911 or better in each of those seasons is going to draw interest, even with a tiny NHL sample size. The Edmonton Oilers, for one, need help in goal, and Cossa played junior hockey for the Edmonton Oil Kings.
If the Wings part ways with Cossa this offseason, it’ll reflect poorly on their decision in 2021 to move up to draft him at No. 15. Jesper Wallstedt was the highest-rated goalie going into that year’s draft, but Cossa did have a 17-1-1 record with a 1.57 GAA and .941 save percentage in 19 games playing behind a very good Oil Kings team in his draft year. The Minnesota Wild grabbed Wallstedt at No. 20, and he’s played 40 games for them the past three seasons, including 10 in the 2026 playoffs. So it goes.
While Cossa’s star has faded, Postava’s has risen. A free agent signee out of Czechia under contract through next season for $975,000 at the NHL level ($85,000 in the minors), the 24-year-old has used the AHL playoffs as a showcase, posting a 1.41 goals-against average through five games. This after he went 17-6-4 with a 1.71 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in 25 regular season games.
Postava has earned a look during next season’s exhibition games (of which there’ll only be four, as the regular season expands from 82 to 84 games). But even if he performs well, it seems doubtful the Wings go into the season without some sort of insurance, since Postava never has played in the NHL. It’s likelier the Wings add a veteran goalie to have as backup if needed, and then see what Postava can do.
Lastly, the Wings may feel comfortable parting with Cossa because in late March, Augustine, a 21-year-old second-round pick from 2023 (No. 43), turned pro after three standout seasons at Michigan State. He’ll need time to adjust to the pro game in Grand Rapids, but he projects to be their goalie of the future.
It’s a good problem to have under any circumstance − multiple talented young goaltenders, with the chance to package Cossa for something the Wings desperately need: a skilled forward.
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: Sebastian Cossa a key offseason piece for Red Wings. Here’s why
Reporting by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
