What to Expect from Detroit Red Wings’ “Healthy Competition” in Net
The Detroit Red Wings expect a “healthy competition” between Cam Talbot, Ville Husso and Alex Lyon. How might that work out on the ice?
Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde has his work cut out for him this season.
Not just because he’s entering a contract year with a team that should have its sights set on the playoffs, and not just because he’s got far less depth than last season to do it with. It’s because he’ll have to be a goalie whisperer next season, choosing every game between three starting options that are all capable of manning the crease.
At “Street Hockey in the D” on Wednesday, Lalonde said that he expects a “healthy competition” between the three goaltenders for the starting job. All three have been starters at different points in their careers, and all three are entering next season with the intention of winning the net.
“Speaking with all three goalies, I think Steve did a pretty good job of explaining to them the situation, that it’s going to be a competition,” Lalonde said. “And all three goalies over the last couple years have proven to play at a very high level. They’ve all shown it.
Lalonde’s three options break down something like this: Do you start Cam Talbot, an established starter who earned an All-Star nod in Los Angeles and was clearly brought in by management to play. Do you stick with Alex Lyon, who worked magic last season to become the Red Wings’ starter and nearly lead them to the playoffs? Or do you go with Ville Husso, Detroit’s former starter whose last season was derailed by lower body injuries but who is coming back presumably recovered?
Choose your fighter. Pick your poison. No matter which way Lalonde makes the decision, he’s got a lot to consider. Essentially, Lalonde and goaltending coach Alex Westlund will have to decide night to night which of those three options to start in net. In reality, this will equally be a decision of which two goaltenders not to start. Injuries, hot streaks and slumps might help rationalize whichever way Lalonde divides the starts, but the three-goaltender system tasks him with making a big decision before nearly every single game in a way that a traditional two-goaltender system often simplifies.
Who’s the go-to right now? It’s still more than a month until preseason, but the Red Wings’ top option appears to be Talbot given his success last season for the Kings and his track record as a dependable starter. Lyon is probably the second punch given his success last season. Coming back from injury, Husso is going to have to re-earn his mantle as anything but the third string.
Taking a more statistical approach, the hierarchy appears the same. Comparing Husso’s stats from a healthier 2022-23 with Lyon’s and Talbot’s performances in 2023-24, Talbot remains the leader of the trio while Lyon takes second fiddle. Talbot ranked in the 70th percentile or higher among NHL goaltenders in five areas tracked by NHL Edge: overall save percentage, high danger save percentage, percentage of games over .900, goal differential per 60 and goals against average. Lyon was above the 50th percentile (average) in goals against and goal support, the latter of which is more a reflection of his teammates than himself. Husso fell below the 50th percentile in every category.
“Healthy competition” for the starting job will cause this order to fluctuate. With three goaltenders who can start, this should give the Red Wings options to choose from if all goes according to plan. It might also bring out better performances from the goaltenders as they compete. At least, that’s how Talbot is looking at it.
“Internal competition always makes everybody better,” Talbot said July 3, days after signing his two-year contract with the Red Wings. “I think that bringing in the guys they brought in just drives everybody that much more and that’s a good thing for everybody.”
Just like the best laid plans oft go awry, a three-goalie system can quickly turn into a two-headed tandem, which could make some of Lalonde’s decisions for him. That’s what happened last season, when Husso’s continued health struggles limited Lalonde to just Lyon and James Reimer for most of 2023-24, and Lyon put together an impressive 16-4-2 run starting in January that entrenched him as the No. 1. These factors simplify the decisions a little bit, but in an ideal world the Red Wings want a healthy stable to choose from. The ability to pick the wrong goaltender is a privilege, even if it’s an albatross all the same.
“I think a pretty good job last year by our management group having three goalies,” Lalonde said. “Very unique. It worked for us last year, and I think we'll go into the season with that mentality and kind of let it play out.”
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