The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman posted a list of 10 “overpriced contracts” which she believes should be moved by NHL teams, and she included Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso on her list, which was published prior to the Linus Ullmark trade to Ottawa:
Ville Husso, Detroit Red Wings
Ville Husso’s future hinges on whether the Red Wings — who were partially sunk by bad goaltending this past season — can land an upgrade in net. The 29-year-old was streaky during his first season in Detroit, rocking an .896 save percentage in 56 games. He was limited to just 19 games because of injuries this year.
GM Steve Yzerman said he “will look at the goalie market,” and the Red Wings are reportedly interested in Linus Ullmark. If Detroit lands a starter, you can bet that the final year of Husso’s contract at $4.75 million will immediately be on the trade block, especially because the club has a quality backup in Alex Lyon who only costs $800,000.
Husso would be an intriguing albeit expensive roll of the dice. A team short on goaltending could talk itself into believing Husso’s numbers faded in the second half of 2023-24 because he was overused and that he might bounce back with better health next season.
All that said, there’s also a decent chance that Yzerman simply signs a veteran No. 3 goalie instead of a big-name starter. In that case, Husso’s highly unlikely to get traded.
Continued; it’s going to be hard to move Husso.
