Arturs Silovs allowed Vancouver to keep competing after a disastrous injury. That's a lesson the Red Wings should bear in mind as they consider their goaltending options for 2024-25
For almost any team in the Stanley Cup playoffs, a goaltending injury amounts to catastrophe. The Vancouver Canucks endured two of them in their first round series with the Nashville Predators and won in six games anyway, offering one more reminder of the importance of having three capable NHL goaltenders at your organizational disposal. Vancouver clinched the series on the strength of a 28-save shutout from third-string goaltender Arturs Silovs.
May 3, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vancouver Canucks goalkeeper Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs (31) awaits the face off against the Nashville Predators during the first period in game six of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone ArenaLate in Game 1, the Canucks lost their star netminder Thatcher Demko to what is now suspected to be an ACL injury. Demko played in 51 games this year, posting a sterling .918 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average.
Before the playoffs began, you would have said Demko would be essential to any potential extended playoff run in Vancouver. After one game, he was unavailable. Then backup Casey DeSmith (who played 29 games with an .895 SV% and 2.89 GAA this season) couldn't start Game 4 in Nashville.
Enter Silovs, whose Stanley Cup playoff career began with nine regular season NHL games to his name, five in the '22-23 season and four more this year. In those games, Silovs earned a 6-2-1 record, .898 SV%, and 2.62 GAA. He spent most of the year in the AHL, playing 34 games to the tune of a 16-11-6 record, 2.74 GAA, and .907 SV% for the Abbotsford Canucks.
Now, Silovs has played three Stanley Cup playoff games, winning two of the, He's made 75 saves on 80 shots for a .938 SV% and 1.70 GAA. He started Games 5 and 6 even with DeSmith healthy enough to back up.
Even if he didn't have an NHL résumé when the series began, Silovs serves as a reminder of the importance of having three goaltenders who can deliver competent starts at the NHL level. It allowed the Canucks to keep competing in a series even after suffering a disastrous injury.
The Red Wings, of course, saw this importance first hand this season. Alex Lyon began the year as the team's number three option in net, and he didn't play until late November, before playing his way into being the team's starter for the playoff push.
Lyon is under contract for one more season, as well as oft-injured ostensible starter Ville Husso, while back-up James Reimer becomes a free agent on July 1st. Detroit likely needs to add a proven 50-60 game NHL starter to maximize its chances at the 2025 postseason.
However, as Silovs shows, that pursuit shouldn't come at the expense of organizational depth, whether that manifests in a veteran like Lyon or a youngster like Sebastian Cossa.