Eyebrows were raised when the Detroit Red Wings’ only move before the NHL Trade Deadline was to acquire veteran goaltender Petr Mrázek, along with forward Craig Smith, from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for center Joe Veleno. The move was noteworthy not only because of Mrázek’s familiarity with the Red Wings, but also because of how Detroit’s crease looks heading into next season.
While it is probably not wise to say anything definitive about the 2025-26 season before the 2024-25 season has concluded, it is hard to ignore how the Red Wings’ contractual situation looks heading into next season with Mrázek now in the fold. After taking a look, the Red Wings’ plans in the crease become pretty clear.
Mrazek & Talbot Signed Through Next Season
During the 2024 offseason, the Red Wings signed Cam Talbot to a two-year contract with a cap-hit of $2.5 million. The 37-year-old represented a veteran presence in goal with over a decade of NHL experience. This was especially appealing as the Red Wings had mostly relied on relatively unproven goaltenders since the turn of the decade, and he was someone with a proven track record of giving his team a chance to win more often than not. To that point, his quality-start percentage is north of .600 since 2021.
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Mrázek’s arrival added another goalie to Detroit’s books that is signed through next season. The 33-year-old goaltender is in the first year of a two-year extension he signed with the Blackhawks in January of last year. His contract carries a $4.25 million cap hit, and brings Detroit’s financial commitments to goalies to $7.75 million for next season.
Though Talbot was the Red Wings’ primary goaltender for most of this season, Mrázek seems to have taken that role over after his first week back in Detroit. Mrázek, a Red Wings draft pick back in 2010, recorded his first shutout of the season on Mar. 16 against the Vegas Golden Knights, securing a much needed win for Detroit as they try to stay in the playoff race. Overall, he has won two of his first three starts and is set to make his fourth-straight start when the Red Wings take on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Mar. 18.
All of this would pretty much be a non-topic if it weren’t for two other individuals: Alex Lyon and Sebastian Cossa. The former is in his second season with the Red Wings and was the team’s go-to guy last season when they missed the playoffs by a single point. The latter is the Red Wings’ “goalie of the future”, and the widely-held assumption was that he would be gearing up for a full-time role in Detroit next season.
With Talbot and Mrázek seemingly set to return for next season, the question of Lyon and Cossa’s fates now loom over Detroit’s crease.
The Plan for 2025-26
Starting with Cossa, the 22-year-old is in the midst of his second full season in the American Hockey League (AHL). In 34 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, he has a 19-10-5 record, a 2.31 goals-against average and a .915 save-percentage (SV%). He is basically right on par with where he was last season as an AHL rookie, so while the results are positive, there is a little stagnation going on here. Since winning his first NHL game three months ago, Cossa has struggled to find a rhythm; for a stretch that ran from Jan. 31 to Feb. 25, he failed to record a SV% higher than .906.
With that being said, the Red Wings bringing in Mrázek not only keeps Cossa firmly in Grand Rapids this season, but it also allows the organization to take their time in regards to finding NHL minutes for Cossa next season. With Mrázek and Talbot under contract for next season, Cossa would enter the season as the third option on the depth chart, making him the first man up in the event of an injury.
Considering the age and injury history of the guys ahead of him, Cossa will almost certainly get his chance to make an impression next season. Like Marco Kasper and Elmer Söderblom proved this season, if Cossa shows that he’s ready to play when he gets his chance, he’ll have a roster spot one way or another.
Which leads us to Lyon, seemingly the odd man out in all of this. The 32-year-old is in the final year of the two-year pact he signed with Detroit back in 2023, and he should be poised for a legitimate pay increase for the first time in his career. He proved he can be an everyday NHL goaltender since joining the Red Wings, and that should earn him offers in free agency, likely in a backup role.
That being said, the Red Wings may still need Lyon down the stretch this season. Over his last five starts, he has three wins and a .907 SV%; over Talbot’s last five starts, he has one win and a .862 SV%. If their recent play is any indication, it is Lyon that should be sharing starts with Mrázek as the Red Wings push for the playoffs.
Regardless of how the rest of this season plays out, it is clear that the Red Wings’ front office made a move at the trade deadline with one eye on this season and the other on next season. Their trio of Mrázek, Talbot and Lyon should be good enough to give the team league-average goaltending in the final weeks of the season, and Cossa looks to be in prime position for NHL minutes at some point next season.
It may not have been the big headline-grabbing move some fans were hoping for, but with one move, the Red Wings were able to set themselves up for the rest of this season and next season. That’s a pretty savvy move if you ask me.
