The Detroit Red Wings may not have a long-term answer at goaltender. But they look better off getting rid of one former prospect.
Sebastian Cossa has gotten off to a rough start in his career with the Utah Mammoth. Utah, which gave up a first-round pick to acquire Cossa, saw the young netminder give up four goals on 19 shots on Monday night vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Cossa now has a 2-1-0 record, but his .820 save percentage and 3.33 GAA tell another story. In four appearances (three starts) this season, Cossa has faced 50 shots, yet has already given up nine goals.
His expected goals allowed (xGA) is currently 5.6, per Hockey-Reference. He is especially struggling to hold his own against opposing power plays, where he has allowed three goals on five shots. That said, his .864 save percentage at even strength also isn't encouraging, with six goals allowed on 44 shots.
As it stands, former general manager Steve Yzerman was right to move Cossa for a first-round pick to draft J.P. Hurlbert. While nobody knows how this trade will ultimately play out, it's looking much better for the Red Wings in the early going.
In the summer of 2026, the Red Wings brought in Daniil Tarasov, who is just three years older than Cossa. Tarasov recently surpassed his 100th NHL appearance and could be a dark-horse candidate as a long-term solution.
Tarasov's start this season couldn't have been more different from Cossa's. Through three appearances, Tarasov is 1-0-1, with a .964 save percentage and an .80 GAA. He has allowed two goals while facing 57 shots, and already recorded a shutout.
Tarasov has allowed just one goal at even strength, stopping 41 of 42 shots his way. He's also 11-for-12 when defending the net on the penalty kill.
If there is one small area Cossa is outperforming Tarasov, it's facing high-danger chances. Cossa currently has an .833 save percentage, allowing two goals on 12 high-danger chances against.
Tarasov has seen three high-danger chances against and allowed one goal. It's a small sample size, but Cossa has shown he's capable in high-pressure situations.
This can't come without a "to be fair" moment. For one, Tarasov has more experience than Cossa, who made his fifth NHL appearance (one with the Red Wings) on Monday night. The Mammoth have also allowed 3.1 goals per game, compared to 2.875 for the Red Wings.
Detroit has also been far better at 5-on-5 defensively than Utah, with a .929 save percentage compared to Utah's .905. Detroit's xGA is just 13.9, one of the best marks in the league and 4.2 better than the NHL average. Utah's sits at 19.0 and .9 below average.
Since the Mammoth are one of the NHL's most high-octane teams with 3.8 goals scored per game compared to 2.375 for the Red Wings, Cossa can afford to make rookie mistakes and still help his team win. The league remains in the early stages of the season, so Cossa can still develop into a solid goaltender.
As it stands early on, however, the Red Wings look like they hold the edge in moving Cossa, bringing in Tarasov, and letting prospects Michal Postava and Trey Augustine develop in Grand Rapids.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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