Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen makes a bold assertion in discussing the Red Wings’ goaltending prospects, and Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine in particular, suggesting that they may be the best tandem the Wings have had in the goaltending prospect pipeline since the 50’s:
The Red Wings don’t have an estimated time of NHL arrival for Augustine and Cossa. The best case scenario would be both players in Detroit in two to three seasons. The projection on Cossa is that he will be the No. 1 goalie this season in Grand Rapids and then the Red Wings will go from there.
If Augustine plays well again this season for MSU, signing with Detroit after his season would be the logical next step. Based on Yzerman’s history, Augustine is presumably looking a minimum of two years of minor-league hockey. That would put him competing for a Detroit job in 2027-28.
But nothing is etched in stone. If Cossa is a dominant in the AHL, and the Red Wings suffered multiple goalie injuries, he could be the team’s best option. Likewise, Augustine continues to be ahead of where he should be in his development. Could he skip a step?
Continued (paywall); I’m not certain whether Cossa and Augustine are the Wings’ best tandem since the days of Sawchuk, Lumley and Hall, but they appear to be a very realistic future tandem.
Goaltenders are notoriously difficult to develop, however, and it’s just a bit of a “crapshoot” to determine goaltenders’ successes down the line.
I think, I hope, and I believe that Cossa and Augustine have as good a chance as anybody to become a real tandem, but we’ll have to see how things shake out in IRL, as they say.
