The Free Press’s Helene St. James adds to the narrative regarding Red Wings goaltender Sebastian Cossa this morning, offering a bit more from Cossa to complement the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan’s notebook from last night:
“It’s a contract year for me, so a big year,” Cossa said. “I had a really good summer, put in a lot of work. I’m just trying to stay consistent throughout the year, get my shots when I can. Use the experience I’ve gained the past couple years to really push the pace and be the best version of myself.”
Four years ago, the Wings saw so much potential in Cossa that they traded up to make him the first goaltender selected in the 2021 draft, at No. 15 overall. But he has struggled to establish himself at the AHL level, and his lone NHL appearance came in December, when he relieved Ville Husso to start the second period in what ended up a shootout victory at the Buffalo Sabres. At that time, Cossa was doing well with the Grand Rapids Griffins – but then things started to go awry for Cossa and for the Griffins.
“It’s pretty obvious I didn’t have the best second half last year and wasn’t happy with the playoff performance,” Cossa said of his 2024-25 season, which he ended with a 4.51 goals-against average and .868 save percentage in two playoff starts. “So bit of a chip on the shoulder when it comes to that, and proving I can play at a really high level in the AHL and hopefully get a shot here.
“I thought I was rock solid the first half of the year, up until December. We got into a bit of a slump as a whole team and I wasn’t playing great as well and that rolled into the playoffs. That was unfortunate, but I was really happy with the first half of the year.”
Continued (paywall); Cossa and the Griffins did fade over the course of the second half of last season, but he wasn’t alone in his struggles. He gets another year to prove that he can be a stable presence as he turns 23 in November.
