Yahoo Sports 3 Ways Red Wings Can Deal With Floundering Husso
Sometimes, you must cut bait.
Right now, the Detroit Red Wings have been dragging Ville Husso along. This season has been filled with recalls and demotions.
The time has come to make a decision. The Red Wings must decide whether to keep him in the AHL, help him improve his game, or get rid of him.
The Case To Help Him Improve His Game
Whenever a new regime comes to an organization, it is an opportunity to make a new first impression. Husso hasn't looked his best since Todd McLellan took over behind the bench.
There is enough of a track record for optimism that Husso can rebound.
Husso has an AHL record of 6-1-0, to go along with a 1.86 goals against average (GAA), a .935 save percentage (SV%), and two shutouts. That's phenomenal goaltending.
The Red Wings swung on Husso after he posted a 2.56 GAA, .919 season with the St. Louis Blues. He had a 26-22-7 record that year. He's not young, but the 29-year-old netminder is too old to throw in the towel completely.
If the coaching staff can work with him to build up his game, he's worth keeping around.
The Case To Send Him To The AHL
One way the Red Wings can help him improve his game is to keep him in the minors. As stated above, he's been a star in the AHL and would help the farm team win hockey games.
#GRvsCLE | Are you kidding me Ville Husso??? pic.twitter.com/25YjUGpGqr
— Andrew Rinaldi (@GR_Rinaldi_) January 3, 2025
The only issue with this method is Sebastian Cossa. They can't give Husso the starts that Cossa needs to develop. Sending Husso back to the minors probably means not having him play many games or recalling Cossa to have him serve as the NHL backup.
Either way, it's still a mess.
The Case To Get Rid Of Him
The final way the Red Wings can address their Husso problem is to cut bait with the goalie. This is his third straight sub-par season, and it might be time to cut their losses and move on.
Getting rid of Husso would not be the end of the world. They still have veteran NHLer Jack Campbell in the AHL, who can call up if they need a warm body on the bench when injuries strike.
It's typically not a bad thing to have several good goalies. But when some of those goalies don't cut it, you must cut the goalie.
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