Red Wings Sign Ex-Oilers Goaltender Campbell. Is a Lyon or Husso Trade to Follow?
Detroit signs a second UFA goalie of the day in reclamation project Jack Cambell. Does this signal a forthcoming goaltending trade for one of Alex Lyon or Ville Husso?
Red Wings Sign Ex-Oilers Goaltender Campbell. Is a Lyon or Husso Trade to Follow?The Red Wings have signed their second unrestricted free agent goaltender of the day in Port Huron, MI-native Jack Cambell, last of the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton bought Cambell out of the five-year, $25 million contract he signed with the team in the summer of 2022, and now Detroit is taken a swing on trying to help Campbell re-discover his form as a veteran depth option.
After failing to hit a save percentage threshold of .900 in his first year as an Oiler (.888 in 36 regular season games), Campbell played just five games for Edmonton this year before the club sent him down to AHL Bakersfield. The Oilers lost all but one of those five, with Campbell accruing a 4.50 goals against average and .873 SV%.
Given those numbers, it's hard to imagine that Steve Yzerman and his brain trust perceive Capmbell as an NHL option, at least to open next season. Instead, he will likely play the Michael Hutchinson role in Grand Rapids, as a veteran option beside Sebastian Cossa for the Griffins.
However, with Cam Talbot signed already, that leaves Detroit with three goaltenders at the NHL level heading into the season, something Yzerman suggested before the draft he would prefer to avoid. That raises a question: will one of Alex Lyon or Ville Husso will be traded out before training camp?
Lyon was better in 2023-24 than Husso, and he is also cheaper than Husso, with both players signed through the coming season. That makes Lyon more valuable to Detroit, but for the same reason, it also means he is the easier player to trade.
Nonetheless, somewhat counter-intuitively, today's two goaltending acquisitions suggest that another move is coming at the position before the season begins.
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