Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff and I agree on at least one point: we both believe that the Red Wings will sign a veteran goaltender of some sort via the free agent marketplace, which opens up tomorrow at 12 PM EDT.
Duff suggests that the Wings need to sign a goaltender who can serve as a back-up to John Gibson and/or someone to push Michal Postava and Trey Augustine in Grand Rapids, and I believe the same point:
[Red Wings GM Steve] Yzerman won’t be looking to sign someone like Cam Talbot, last season’s backup to John Gibson. Talbot would expect to be an NHL goalie.
Yzerman will be looking for a goalie who is more versatile in his destination choices. They will want to ink a netminder who is capable of playing regularly in the NHL, but will also be comfortable in the AHL, serving as a mentor to incoming rookie Trey Augustine.
“We’ll look at all the various options leading into the free agency period and offseason and decide what is the best option for us to go with John to start the season is,” Yzerman said.
As Duff suggests, the Red Wings will give Michal Postava a long look during training camp and this upcoming season’s exhibition games, but they will require some insurance in goal:
If Postava continues to shine through training camp and the NHL preseason, no worries. He’ll be starting the season as part of Detroit’s goalie tandem.
However, if Postava hits a rough patch and struggles, having that journeyman veteran, another goalie in the system with NHL games on his resume, will prove invaluable.
