Steve Yzerman’s interest in star netminder Tobias Trejbal suggests a potential overhaul for the Red Wings' goaltending depth, even if it means moving on from established prospects.
The hockey world turned its attention to Buffalo this past Saturday as 90 draft-eligible prospects took part in the NHL Scouting Combine, running through a series of physical and skills-based exercises in hopes of strengthening their standing ahead of next week's draft.
For the Detroit Red Wings, without a first-round pick in this year's draft, the combine represented an opportunity to evaluate players who may be available when their first selection comes around at 47th overall and beyond.
One of the more eyebrow-raising meetings Detroit held during the week was with Czech goaltending prospect Tobias Trejbal, a player most scouting outlets project as an early first-round talent.
The meeting raises an interesting question for an organization that already houses one of the deeper goaltending pipelines in the entire league, with Sebastian Cossa, Michal Postava, Trey Augustine, Rudy Guimond and Michal Pradel all currently in the fold. Adding yet another highly touted goalie to that group with the 47th overall pick would be a curious organizational decision, to say the least.
Trejbal, however, left his meeting with Detroit with nothing but positive things to say. He described the sit-down as awesome and called meeting Steve Yzerman a surreal experience, soaking in every moment of what has been a memorable week for the young netminder.
"Awesome experience and as I said, I met a lot of new people and I'll remember this moment for the rest of my life," Trejbal said.
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When asked about his playing style, Trejbal pointed to Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood as the player he models his game after, citing a shared physical profile and approach between the two.
"He's a big guy, calm, athletic, and fast on his skates, so I like to watch him and I like to model my game after him," Trejbal explained.
The numbers Trejbal put up this past season with the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL were among the best of any goalie in the draft class. He finished with a 30-9-3 record, a 2.12 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage across 42 games. The caveat, as always with USHL goaltenders, is the level of competition, and Trejbal's biggest test will come next season when he makes the jump to the NCAA with the University of Massachusetts.
As for Detroit's interest, the most plausible scenario in which adding Trejbal makes sense would involve the organization moving on from one or more of their current goaltending prospects, with Cossa being the most notable name in that conversation.
If the Red Wings do look to clear some of the log jam between the pipes and reset their goaltending pipeline with a fresh top-end talent, Trejbal could be the player they build around going forward. Whether Yzerman is willing to pull that trigger at 47th overall remains to be seen, but the meeting in Buffalo suggests the possibility is at least on the table.
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