From The Silky Mitten State: How bright is Detroit's future in net, based on the prospect pool and present roster?
Over the course of the season, Alex Lyon has earned his way from the Red Wings' third goaltender—who didn't appear in a game until injury demanded it in late November—to its starter, with a commendable .907 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average in 39 games played.
On Monday night, Lyon was outstanding in making 34 saves on 36 shots to help Detroit past the Lightning, but Lyon has had moments this season where he's appeared over-worked and struggled, such that even though he's signed through next season, it would seem a priority for the Red Wings to add a proven starter over the summer. However, in the long term, Detroit has two quality options from its prospect pool in net, though neither is likely to be ready to start regularly next year.
Sebastian Cossa has been excellent this year, setting records in Grand Rapids after a relatively slow start to his season. Cossa has been splitting starts with Michael Hutchinson, so his priority for next year will be increasing his workload to play somewhere between 50 and 60 AHL games, with perhaps an odd NHL cameo along the way.
Trey Augustine, meanwhile, just wrapped up a fantastic freshman season at Michigan State, during which he won the Big Ten regular season title and the Big Ten tournament crown (where he was named most outstanding player), while being named the conference's all-freshman team. However, Augustine will in all likelihood return to the Spartans for at least one more season.
On the most recent episode of The Silky Mitten State, my co-host Connor Earegood and I discussed Cossa, Augustine, and the future of the Red Wings' crease. Here's a sample of that conversation:
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