Sometimes, it’s better not to make a move than to make a move that hurts your team.
Many questioned the move at the time, but now everyone is reminded of the reason why.
The Detroit Red Wings had to call up top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa recently. But why? It started with an injury to Petr Mrazek and was exacerbated with an injury to Cam Talbot.
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The team’s (potential) future starting netminder is with the team. He didn’t see any action in Colorado, but certainly could shortly.
But it didn’t have to be this way.
With Ville Husso traded away, it opened up things with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Cossa had an even greater opportunity to play more games with fewer bodies crowding the AHL team’s net.
And then the Mrazek trade happened.
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Some people were excited to see Mrazek return to the team that drafted him. However, a couple of things didn’t add up.
According to Fox Sports, Mrazek has been injured 10 times since January 30th of 2021. Of those 10 times, five have been explicitly labeled groin injuries, with an additional three being called “lower body” injuries.
Mrazek was replaced 1:38 into the contest on Monday night against the Utah Hockey Club, before Alex Lyon stepped up and delivered a win for the Red Wings.
Given his injury history, it’s safe to assume that all of the lower body injuries could have been groin-related as well. But, we also know that making assumptions is not always a great strategy.
The other issue is money-related. The 33-year-old goalie has another year left on his contract after this year, valued at $4.25 million. However, they are already paying Talbot $2.5 million and Lyon $900,000.
The value that Talbot and Lyon bring at their price point is more significant than Mrazek. Lyon and Talbot have better stats in virtually every category: save percentage, goals against average, and goals saved above expected.
Add it all up and, well, it doesn’t really add up. If the plan had always been to bring in a goalie who could push Talbot and Lyon, there could have been a more affordable option for a player who doesn’t notoriously get injured.
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