Cam Talbot is all set to return from his lower-body injury and will start on Thursday in Philadelphia. With his comeback, rookie Sebastian Cossa has been sent back to AHL Grand Rapids as he’s no longer needed on the active roster. Talbot, who is 37 years old, missed four games after getting hurt during an overtime loss against the Canucks on December 1st. Detroit was already down another goalie, Alex Lyon, who is still recovering from a similar issue. This situation led them to call up Cossa to support Ville Husso for a bit. Husso will continue as Talbot’s backup until Lyon gets better.
Steve Yzerman made several moves this summer that didn’t quite work out, but signing Talbot wasn’t one of them. The experienced goalie has been shining this season with a .915 save percentage and a 2.73 goals-against average over 15 games for Detroit, which allows an average of 30.9 shots per game—fifth worst in the league! His performance has saved 10.1 goals above expected; only Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (16.8), Anaheim’s Lukáš Dostál (14.0), Utah’s Karel Vejmelka (13.2), and Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson (12.6) have done better according to MoneyPuck.
Fans might feel hopeful seeing such strong play from their goalie! Meanwhile, the Red Wings are eager for more wins to get back into playoff talks since Husso hasn’t been doing great with his .870 save percentage and 3.74 goals-against average in six starts and one relief appearance this year.
Red Wings’ Roster Changes:
Cossa got his first NHL taste when he stepped in after Husso let three goals slip by on seven shots against the Sabres last Monday before being pulled out of the game; Cossa then made 12 saves on 14 shots leading to a thrilling comeback win in a shootout ending at 6-5.
Spending more time developing isn’t bad for Cossa though; he’s showing real progress with Grand Rapids this season! Now in his third pro year, he boasts impressive stats: a sparkling 2.21 GAA and .925 SV% over 14 games with a solid record of nine wins, four losses, and one tie—he’s even beating last year’s best numbers!
Fans might wonder how these changes will impact future games? After sending Cossa down again, Detroit now stands at having $4.31 million cap space left according to PuckPedia without needing any extra paperwork since Talbot wasn’t put on injured reserve.
What do you think about all these changes?
