Red Wings Should Only Trade Sebastian Cossa for “Perfect Offer”

When the Detroit Red Wings selected Sebastian Cossa in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft, he was immediately anointed as the franchise’s goalie of the future. Five years later, he has only appeared in one NHL game.

I bring this up because we’ve reached a decision point: Detroit either needs to promote Cossa to the NHL for 2026-27 or trade him – he’ll require waivers to be assigned to the AHL next season and there’s zero chance he passes through unclaimed. It’s now or never for the Red Wings’ top goalie prospect.

Red Wings Need to Keep Sebastian Cossa

On the surface, I understand the logic in throwing Cossa’s name out there as a trade chip. For one, Michal Postava outplayed the former first-round pick down the stretch and earned the right to start all of Grand Rapids’ playoff games thus far. His stellar postseason play has certainly validated the decision.

So with Postava ascending and Trey Augustine now in the professional ranks, the Red Wings have an outstanding trio of young netminders pushing for ice time. Fellow prospects Michal Pradel and Rudy Guimond could make some noise down the road, too. 

In a supply-and-demand hockey economy, Detroit has an opportunity to deal from their surplus in net and acquire players who can help elsewhere – particularly in their top six. After all, the organization has a few gaps they need to address. 

And finally, there’s enough depth in this summer’s class of UFA goalies that Detroit could bring in someone on a short-term deal to back up John Gibson. This includes Frederik Andersen, Stuart Skinner, Daniil Tarasov, David Rittich, and Connor Ingram. 

Again, I understand the rationale. That said, I would still recommend that the Red Wings hold onto Cossa.

For one, he’s one of the best goalie prospects out there. A minor slump down the stretch doesn’t change that. Cossa has excelled in the WHL, ECHL, and AHL, and is now ready for NHL responsibilities, where I believe he’ll thrive – he has bonafide starting goalie upside.

Why? The Red Wings have thrown a lot of challenges Cossa’s way and he has met or exceeded expectations on all of them. 

ECHL? Thrived. Heavy AHL workload? Became a two-time all-star. Lost playoff starts to a hotter hand? Stayed ready anyway.

“Cossa’s attitude is he’s working hard,” noted Griffins coach Dan Watson, “he’s been fantastic actually. He knows, at some point – hopefully we go on a long run, and more likely than not that he’s going to get an opportunity, and when he does he’s going to be ready to make the most of it.” (from ‘Which Red Wings prospects are NHL-ready in Grand Rapids? Projected roles for 2026-27’ – The Athletic – 5/18/26)

Lastly, the Red Wings know better than most organizations how difficult it is to find stability in net. For years after Jimmy Howard’s decline, Detroit cycled through stopgap options without finding a long-term answer. Trading Cossa now would risk reopening that same problem just as the organization appears close to solving it internally.

Final Word

Eventually, the Red Wings will need to trade one of Cossa, Augustine, or Postava to avoid a three-headed monster in net. And if a “perfect offer”—a young, controllable top-line-caliber player—comes along this offseason and it would address a major organizational need, Cossa should certainly be in play – the net value would be worth it.

But unless something perfect materializes, the plan should be to keep Cossa and slot him in as Gibson’s backup for 2026-27. He’s ready, and it’s time for the Red Wings to give him a real shot to show he truly is the goalie of the future in Hockeytown.