The Hockey News’s Frank Zawrazky spoke with Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine at the NHLPA’s Rookie Showcase in Chicago, suggesting that Augustine represents growing roster stability in goal (if only eventually):
Between 2008-2026, Detroit had 24 different goaltenders play at least one game. Jimmy Howard, who spent 15 years in the Red Wings organization and was the last goalie to appear in the playoffs, was a great regular season goalie.
Detroit currently has two goaltenders on its roster this year, neither of which are a long-term solution.
John Gibson is a solid veteran, coming over via trade from Anaheim last summer. While the longtime Duck had his moments, the 33-year-old isn’t the same goalie he was earlier in his career. Daniil Tarasov, who was signed on July 1, has struggled at the NHL level in both Columbus and Florida. He earned a 20-25-3 record and 0.888 save percentage in 50 games across the past two seasons.
Both players are pending UFAs at the end of next season, which should pave the way for Augustine as he makes the full-time jump from college to the pros.
“I think just being around Tom Wilson and Kyle Okposo at dinner last night, hearing what they had to say about their experiences and kind of how they’ve gone about their own business, it’s super valuable to hear from them and how different it really is from college or juniors or wherever you’re coming from,” Augustine said at the Rookie Showcase. “Definitely, the highest level of hockey there is. I’m just going advantage of all the things that the NHLPA and these guys and the players have to offer.”
The Hockey News’s Jake Tye reports that Augustine also had the magic touch as NHLPA Rookie Showcase participants “broke” several boxes of Upper Deck cards:
One of the biggest highlights of the weekend came during Upper Deck’s popular pack-ripping session, where players had the opportunity to open a variety of the company’s newest hockey products. With the sports card hobby continuing to grow in popularity, the segment quickly became one of the most entertaining moments of the showcase.
Augustine walked away with arguably one of the biggest pulls of the event after uncovering a 2025-26 O-Pee-Chee Platinum Orange Autographed Matthew Schaefer rookie card, numbered to just 25 prints. The highly coveted card is one of the most rare for one of hockey’s most exciting young defensemen.
Early sales of some versions of the card have gone for as high as nearly $8,000, making Augustine’s pull a significant one. While the Detroit netminder is already set to begin his three-year entry-level contract carrying a $1.075 million annual cap hit next season, the valuable card could provide an impressive bonus should he ever decide to sell it.
