A hard-fought goalie battle is expected in the camp, Jared Goff receives a cool gift

Last season, the Detroit Red Wings began training camp with three goalies on their active roster and stuck with that approach (as long as everyone was healthy) for most of the season. I intentionally left out the healthy goalie part because staying healthy became a real problem for the Red Wings’ goalies last season. I believe Detroit was prepared to go with three goalies even if there were no significant injuries last season; that in itself is a bit concerning.

The concern is simple: The Detroit Red Wings lack a traditional No. 1-caliber goalie. They didn’t have one last season, and while I believe Detroit upgraded the position this summer, it’s still a problem area for the 2024-25 season. I’m also a little surprised general manager Steve Yzerman didn’t take advantage of severance pay for Ville Husso after that extra opportunity presented itself following the contract extension with restricted free agent Joe Veleno. The two sides were able to avoid arbitration when the Red Wings signed Veleno to a two-year extension worth $4.550 million. In case you don’t know, avoiding arbitration with a player gives a team a 48-hour “extra” severance window for a player making $4 million or more a year. Husso, 29, is entering the final year of his current contract, which has an annual salary of $4.75 million.

Husso was out of action for long periods last season with various lower-body injuries. Before his first leg injury in December, Husso struggled to perform at the same level as he did with the St. Louis Blues or during the first half of his first season in Detroit. In his first year with the Red Wings, Husso played very well for the first half of the year, but was banged up and exhausted toward the end of the year. It was the first time Husso had to carry the load as the No. 1 goaltender in the NHL, and he admitted he needed to prepare better mentally and physically before last season. Well, last season quickly became a year to forget for the Finnish goaltender. Husso played in 19 games last season, posting a 9-5-2 record with a disheartening 3.55 goals-against average and .892 save percentage.

In his two seasons with Detroit, Husso has a total of -19.8 goals saved. A goalie’s goals saved is calculated by his save percentage and total number of shots on goal compared to the league average save percentage on the same number of shots. By comparison, Husso had a 15.0 goals saved the year before coming to Detroit. Now, part of this is due to the team’s overall defense and how many high-danger and open chances a team allows over the course of the season, or more specifically, whether a particular goalie is in goal. It’s odd, but some teams perform better with some goalies than others. Part of it depends on the matchups. If the backup goalie makes most of his appearances on the second goal of a back-to-back, the team in front of him may become a little sluggish or run out of steam as the game goes on.

“It’s going to be a healthy competition,” coach Derek Lalonde said this week. “I’ve spoken to all three goalies. I think Steve explained the situation to them pretty well and explained that it’s going to be a competition. All three goalies have proven over the last few years that they play at a very high level.”

Alex Lyon emerged as Detroit’s best goaltending option last season, posting a 21-18-5 record, a 3.05 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. Lyon’s 43 NHL-level appearances last year were a career high by a mile; his previous high was the year before in Florida, when he started 14 times. Last year, Lyon took over as the clear top option in goal in late December, and his dazzling play put the Red Wings in playoff conversations in January and February before cooling off toward the end of the year. Lyon, 31, is entering the final year of a two-year contract that pays him an average annual value of $900,000. Compared to Husso, Lyon posted a 1.1 goals-saved-above-average rate last year. Lyon is expected to do the lion’s share of the work at the start of the season, splitting time with newly acquired Cam Talbot.

Speaking of Talbot, the Detroit Red Wings signed the veteran goalie to a two-year, $5 million deal earlier this summer. Talbot is expected to begin the year as the preferred option in goal, but there’s no doubt head coach Derek Lalonde will make the goalie decision again this time around. Talbot, 37, is coming off a stellar season in Los Angeles, boasting a 27-20-6 record backed up by a 2.50 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. Talbot saved 14 goals above average last season, but that’s a little skewed considering he played behind one of the best overall defenses last season.

The trio will battle it out in training camp, preseason and probably the regular season. Healthy competition isn’t a bad thing. If all goes well, they’ll push each other to perform better, and Detroit will benefit from having them on a winning streak. The Detroit Red Wings also signed veteran and former Windsor Spitfire Jack Campbell to a one-year deal. Campbell will team up with top goalie talent Sebastian Cossa in Grand Rapids. He will also be a fourth option with NHL experience if things really go south at the position in Detroit. With Husso and Lyon entering the final year of their current contracts, I expect the combination of Cossa and Talbot to form the battery in Detroit in the 2025-26 season.

Some Detroit Red Wings were at Allen Park over the weekend watching the Detroit Lions practice. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin gave quarterback Jared Goff a cool gift – or rather, two cool gifts. Larkin gave Goff a Red Wings No. 16 jersey and a Vladimir Konstantinov jersey, telling him that jersey numbers are pretty important around here.

Goff said he would have to look up the meaning of the number after practice. Part of me was a little surprised by the answer, but I quickly realized Goff was a kid from California and probably not a big hockey fan. I’m still a little shocked that he didn’t know Konstantinov, but the benefit of this type of exchange is that players from other sports can familiarize themselves with past and present players/legends in the city they’re currently playing in.