The Detroit Red Wings are understandably hoping for big things in the career of goaltender Sebastian Cossa, whom they selected in 2021 (15th overall).
As is the case with many goaltenders, Cossa’s development has included both ups and downs so far in his tenures with the Toledo Walleye and the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Cossa faltered down the stretch last season for the Griffins, and didn’t perform much better in the Calder Cup Playoffs when he was pulled during what was a three-game series loss.
He’s already made two starts in pre-season play, making 15 saves on 17 shots in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sept. 23, but his start against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday wasn’t as successful.
Cossa surrendered four goals on the 16 shots he faced as part of a 5-2 loss, which included a tally from Tage Thompson in the final frame in which he was scrambling to get back into position, albeit too late.
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As far as what head coach Todd McLellan believes about Cossa’s performance against the Sabres, there were both positives and negatives, but his overall outlook of eventual starting goaltender material remains unchanged.
“I think that Sebastian has an opportunity to blossom into an outstanding goaltender, and he’ll keep working towards that,” McLellan said following Monday’s practice. “Some of the goals that went in on him were – I don’t know if a lot of guys would stop them.”
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“But that’s okay – it’s some of the other clean up stuff around the crease,” he continued. “Being alert, he took a penalty when he went out and misplayed the puck below the goal line, those are are need to get cleaned up. And that’s just being really sharp and alert all game. Even when the puck is away from you, you got to be thinking about what could happen.”
Cossa spoke plainly during Training Camp about the necessity of having a strong season in 2025-26, which also happens to be a contract year for him. He’s eligible for restricted free agency next offseason.
In the meantime, McLellan believes that if Cossa makes adjustments to certain aspects of his game, he could eventually be Detroit’s go-to man in the crease.
“I think those are areas that he can clean up, but no doubt about it, I think he can be a really good goaltender,” McLellan said.
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