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Calling up a prospect tends to stoke excitement surrounding a team, and it was no different a few days ago when the Detroit Red Wings flew in goalie Sebastian Cossa from Grand Rapids to Denver, where he arrived shortly before the puck dropped.
He ended up serving as backup, and was re-assigned to the Griffins two days later. That left Cossa with one very long morning skate, on Thursday, to pocket from his second stint with the Wings — and left one Free Press reader, A.E. Scott, to lead off this mailbag with the question: "Any chance we see Cossa this season? I can't be the only one who wants that."
The Wings were quick to ship Cossa back to the minors because once past the NHL trade deadline, teams are allowed a mere four call-ups, unless it's an emergency condition. The latter applied to Cossa once Cam Talbot was ruled medically unavailable for the March 25 game against the Colorado Avalanche, but his improved health two days later meant Cossa had to be sent back, or else count as a regular call-up.
MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: This question shows far franchise has fallen
Cossa was needed in Denver because the Wings had just lost Petr Mrazek to injury the previous night. There hasn't been much of an update on Mrazek, but he has not practiced with the team since getting hurt in a collision in his crease in the Utah game.
But back to Cossa. It speaks to how mediocre the bottom half of the Eastern Conference is that the Wings can have lost 11 of 14 games since late February and still very much be within reach of the conference's second wild-card berth. But should that that gap become a gulf in April (when the Wings play nine times in 17 days, including two back-to-backs on the road), it would make sense to bring up Cossa and have him start a few games.
Cossa, 22, has been the presumptive goalie of the future since the Wings traded up to select him at No. 15 overall in 2021. Cossa has played in the minors for three seasons, mostly in the ECHL in 2022-23 (his first pro year), and then this year and last with the Griffins. He has appeared in one game with the Wings, on Dec. 9 when the Wings rallied from two goals down to defeat the Sabres in Buffalo, 6-5, in a shootout. Cossa picked up the win. Then-coach Derek Lalonde gave Cossa a lukewarm review, saying that Cossa looked, "a little rattled," that "the game looked a little overwhelming for him," but also that, "he got the job done."
If the Wings look like they're not going to make the playoffs again this spring, it'd be nice to see where Cossa's comfort level is at in the NHL, and see how close he is to pushing for a job.
From one goalie question to another: Reader Jules M. wrote to ask, "Any chance Lyon is still around after this season?"
Shortly after general manager Steve Yzerman traded for Mrazek on March 7, Yzerman pointed to Mrazek being signed through next season (for $4.25 million) as one of the reasons for the move. Clearly, the Wings see Mrazek, 33, as a better option than Alex Lyon to pair with Talbot for 2025-26. Lyon was signed in 2024 with the intent of sending him to the minors, but then Lyon played so well that exhibition season the Wings decided not to expose him on waivers because he would have been claimed. Instead, they carried three goalies in 2024-25 — and needed all three. Lyon has struggled at times this season, especially since mid-February, leading Yzerman to look for a way to strengthen the position. The thing of it is, the Wings will need a No. 3 for next season, but Lyon stands to get better offers by going to free agency.
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sebastian Cossa's future with Detroit Red Wings, Alex Lyon on way out
Continue reading...
He ended up serving as backup, and was re-assigned to the Griffins two days later. That left Cossa with one very long morning skate, on Thursday, to pocket from his second stint with the Wings — and left one Free Press reader, A.E. Scott, to lead off this mailbag with the question: "Any chance we see Cossa this season? I can't be the only one who wants that."
The Wings were quick to ship Cossa back to the minors because once past the NHL trade deadline, teams are allowed a mere four call-ups, unless it's an emergency condition. The latter applied to Cossa once Cam Talbot was ruled medically unavailable for the March 25 game against the Colorado Avalanche, but his improved health two days later meant Cossa had to be sent back, or else count as a regular call-up.
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MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: This question shows far franchise has fallen
Cossa was needed in Denver because the Wings had just lost Petr Mrazek to injury the previous night. There hasn't been much of an update on Mrazek, but he has not practiced with the team since getting hurt in a collision in his crease in the Utah game.
But back to Cossa. It speaks to how mediocre the bottom half of the Eastern Conference is that the Wings can have lost 11 of 14 games since late February and still very much be within reach of the conference's second wild-card berth. But should that that gap become a gulf in April (when the Wings play nine times in 17 days, including two back-to-backs on the road), it would make sense to bring up Cossa and have him start a few games.
Cossa, 22, has been the presumptive goalie of the future since the Wings traded up to select him at No. 15 overall in 2021. Cossa has played in the minors for three seasons, mostly in the ECHL in 2022-23 (his first pro year), and then this year and last with the Griffins. He has appeared in one game with the Wings, on Dec. 9 when the Wings rallied from two goals down to defeat the Sabres in Buffalo, 6-5, in a shootout. Cossa picked up the win. Then-coach Derek Lalonde gave Cossa a lukewarm review, saying that Cossa looked, "a little rattled," that "the game looked a little overwhelming for him," but also that, "he got the job done."
If the Wings look like they're not going to make the playoffs again this spring, it'd be nice to see where Cossa's comfort level is at in the NHL, and see how close he is to pushing for a job.
From one goalie question to another: Reader Jules M. wrote to ask, "Any chance Lyon is still around after this season?"
Shortly after general manager Steve Yzerman traded for Mrazek on March 7, Yzerman pointed to Mrazek being signed through next season (for $4.25 million) as one of the reasons for the move. Clearly, the Wings see Mrazek, 33, as a better option than Alex Lyon to pair with Talbot for 2025-26. Lyon was signed in 2024 with the intent of sending him to the minors, but then Lyon played so well that exhibition season the Wings decided not to expose him on waivers because he would have been claimed. Instead, they carried three goalies in 2024-25 — and needed all three. Lyon has struggled at times this season, especially since mid-February, leading Yzerman to look for a way to strengthen the position. The thing of it is, the Wings will need a No. 3 for next season, but Lyon stands to get better offers by going to free agency.
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sebastian Cossa's future with Detroit Red Wings, Alex Lyon on way out
Continue reading...
