The top upcoming free-agent goaltender will not hit the open market next Wednesday, as the Blues traded Ville Husso to the Red Wings on Friday morning.
UPDATE: The Detroit #RedWings today acquired goaltender Villie Husso from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a third round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. pic.twitter.com/Ff0dGi393z
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 8, 2022
Detroit sent a third-round pick back St. Louis' way to shore up its goaltending with the acquisition of the 27-year-old. They subsequently signed him to a three-year, $14.25 contract.
UPDATE: The Detroit #RedWings signed goaltender Ville Husso to a three-year contract. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/JGjZGordB2
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 8, 2022
The Blues had a decision to make between Husso and Jordan Binnington. Husso had taken over the starting job by the end of the season, but lost it during the first round in the playoffs to Binnington.
St. Louis had previously locked Binnington up long term, and giving a big contract to Husso didn't make a ton of sense. Instead of having him walk free in free agency, the Blues get an extra third-round pick out of the deal.
MORE: Picks, grades from the 2022 NHL Draft
For Detroit, it now has a pretty strong 1-2 duo in Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic, who they traded for last offseason. Nedeljkovic did not have a good 2021-22 season, but he was dealing with one of the worst defensive groups in front of him. The pair will likely split duties in the crease, giving the Red Wings options in net for the near future before 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa presumably takes over.
Ville Husso trade details
- Red Wings receive: G Ville Husso
- Blues receive: 2022 third-round pick (No. 73 overall)
It's a good trade for both sides. It may not seem like much for a goaltender of Husso's caliber, but remember that not only does he have a limited sample size, but he was going to walk away for nothing come Wednesday. The Blues weren't going to re-sign him and they got at least something in return.
For the Red Wings, a three-year deal makes sense. Nedeljkovic is a free agent next offseason, so it gives Detroit some security in net before Cossa arrives. Husso can prove during those three years that he's worthy of being their starter, or he's simply just a bridge to Cossa.
Ville Husso stats
Husso saw action in a little less than half of the Blues' games this season, receiving 38 starts and 40 appearances.
Before this season, the Finn had played just 17 NHL games, so he has yet to play a full season as a starter. We'll see how new Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde elects to utilize him.
| SEASON | APPEARANCES | STARTS | RECORD | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 17 | 15 | 9-6-1 | 3.21 | .893% |
| 2021-22 | 40 | 38 | 25-7-6 | 2.56 | .919% |
| Career | 57 | 53 | 34-13-7 | 2.74 | .912% |
