Ville Husso had a feeling. He had earned a raise with the Blues, except the Blues couldn't give it to him. They would have to trade him before losing him as a free agent. Sure enough, Husso was watching the NHL Draft last Friday when the 27-year-old goalie got the news: he was headed to Detroit.
“I got an idea that Detroit was interested and then everything just happened kind of quick,” Husso said Sunday in his first conversation with local reporters. “I’m very happy to join the Detroit Red Wings. Historic team, 11 Stanley Cups, I think that says a lot. Very excited for when the season starts.”
The Wings are very excited to have Husso. He’s coming off a breakout season in which he earned a vote for the Vezina Trophy. It’s been 10 seasons since a goalie for Detroit earned a Vezina vote, Jimmy Howard in 2012-13. Howard never quite reached that level again, Petr Mrazek wasn’t the successor the Wings thought he would be and here they are in 2022, still searching for a long-term answer in goal.
Sebastian Cossa remains their most promising candidate. He also remains at least a couple years away from the NHL. Because the comparison is so popular, Steve Yzerman drafted Andrei Vasilevskiy in the first round in 2012; the future Vezina winner didn’t take over the net in Tampa Bay until midway through the 2016-17 season. The same timeline for Cossa, a first-round pick in 2021, would make him Detroit’s No. 1 goalie in 2025-26.
In the meantime, someone has to man the Red Wings’ crease. And if he mans it well enough, like Ben Bishop did for the Lightning prior to Vasilevskiy’s arrival, he’ll force Cossa to take it away. He’ll also guard the club against the possibility that Cossa doesn’t take it at all; a 19-year-old, 6’6 goaltender can land anywhere on the professional spectrum.
This is why Yzerman traded for Husso, just like he traded for Alex Nedeljkovic a year ago. And this is why he quickly signed Husso to a three-year deal worth a reported $4.75 million per season. That will bring Husso through 2024-25, by which time Cossa should be playing in Detroit. Then it’s on Cossa to take over.
“I feel like these days in hockey, (you need) to have two good goalies on the team,” Husso said.
Husso was referring to Nedeljkovic, his new partner in Detroit. They haven’t met yet, but Husso said he's eager to change that and expects them to form “a good goalie duo.” With continued growth, they can form one of the best young duos in the NHL. Husso was seventh in the league last season (min. 30 games) with a .919 save percentage in 40 games. Nedeljkovic wobbled at times under a heavier-than-expected workload, but also showed the flair that made him a Calder Finalist the year prior.
“Me and Jordan Binnington were pushing each other every day (in St. Louis),” said Husso. “I think’s that’s the one thing I learned from him. And with Alex, I want to do the same thing, push each other every day in practice and in games.”
Husso, like Nedeljkovic, got more work than he likely expected last season, which caught up to him down the stretch. He had a .935 save percentage and a 2.02 goals against average over his first 20 games, compared to .904 and 3.08 over his last 20. When Husso took over for the injured Binnington in the playoffs, he and the Blues were bombarded by the Avalanche – who, it bears mention, eventually bombarded Vasilevskiy and the Lightning.
“For next year, I need to be on the level that I played in the first part of last season,” Husso said. “That’s my next goal, is to be on that level every single night.”
It won’t be easy in Detroit, as Nedeljkovic could attest. The Red Wings were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last season and will have another young blueline next season. Nedeljkovic went from seeing about 28 shots per 60 minutes behind a strong Hurricanes team in 2020-21 to more than 33 shots per 60 in his first season with the Red Wings – and saw his save percentage fall from .932 to .901. Husso will face a similar challenge.
He sees it as more of an opportunity.
“For me, I wanted to sign for three years and settle things down (in my career),” he said. “And now and I’m looking forward to that.”
If Husso can settle things down in goal for Detroit, Yzerman can be patient with Cossa. And if Cossa wants the Red Wings’ net, he’ll eventually have to come take it.
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker