The Detroit Red Wings could look to trade star young goalie Sebastian Cossa after the team acquired John Gibson this offseason.
Gibson is under contract for two more years. Detroit also has Trey Augustine coming into the system, who’s one of the top goalie prospects in the NHL. With that, Cossa’s name has come up in trade rumors. NHL analyst Rob Couch of NHLTradeRumors linked the goalie to the Florida Panthers.
The Florida Panthers will have to find a replacement in net pretty soon if they want to extend their Stanley Cup window as well,” Couch wrote. “After going to three consecutive finals and winning the last two, Sergei Bobrovsky may not have many more seasons left in him. He is heading into the final year of his deal at $10 million AAV.
“The organization has Daniil Tarasov, Brandon Bussi, and Cooper Black. But there’s no certainty any of them can be more than a backup,” Couch added. “It appears as though Cossa has the highest potential by a lot. And, there’s no cap space to use any first-round pick to acquire major upgrades at the trade deadline. So why not invest in the near future?”
Cossa was selected 15th overall in 2021 and is vying for NHL playing time. However, he could serve as the AHL starting goalie before replacing Sergei Bobrovsky next season.
Bobrovsky has led the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cups, but he’s in the final year of his seven-year, $70 million deal. He’s soon to be 37, so Florida could look to move on from him, and trading for Cossa from the Red Wings makes sense.
Red Wings Could Sell High on Cossa
Cossa is ready to be in the NHL, but Detroit has Gibson and Cam Talbot under contract, so he could be traded this offseason.
If the Red Wings look to trade Cossa, Detroit would be able to get quite a bit for him. It also makes sense for the Red Wings to trade him. Especially given that Augustine is coming into the system and Gibson is under contract for two more years.
If Cossa is indeed made available, several NHL teams would be interested in him. However, for now, the Red Wings haven’t made Cossa available in trade talks.
Cossa went 1-0 with a 2.67 GAA and a .867 SV% in his lone start in the NHL last season. In the AHL, he went 21-15-5 with a 2.45 GAA and a .911 SV%.
Red Wings AHL Coach Expects Cossa to be The Backup
Although Detroit traded for Gibson and has Talbot under contract, Cossa will still be in training camp to compete for the backup job.
Grand Rapids Griffins – the AHL team of the Red Wings – head coach Dan Watson believes Cossa has all the talent to win the backup job in training camp.
“He’s committed, dedicated. He wants to get better. He wants to be the guy, whether it’s in Grand Rapids, I know he’s gonna be challenging mentally for a spot in Detroit,” Watson said to The Hockey News. “We’re looking for him to take that next step and be a good starting goaltender for us in Grand Rapids. If not, he’s going to be in Detroit.”
However, with Cossa still having the ability to be sent down to the AHL, it is likely he will begin the year in the minors.
Red Wings Linked to Trading Star Young Goalie to Division Rival