The Detroit Red Wings have recalled top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa under emergency conditions. Detroit is currently dealing with a mix of unavailability and injury in their goaltending room. Petr Mrazek sustained an undisclosed injury just two minutes into the team’s Monday win over Utah, after catching the stick of Dylan Guenther in a netfront collision. Backup Alex Lyon took over for Mrazek and led Detroit to a 5-1 victory. Lyon will have to man the starter’s net for a second night in a row on Tuesday, with Cam Talbot also out of the lineup for undisclosed reasons, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press . Talbot has only played four games in the month of March, and just one in the last week.
With Mrazek and Talbot on the shelf, Cossa will receive his first NHL call-up since December. He made his NHL debut in relief of Talbot on his last recall, and managed to lead Detroit to a shootout victory in 45 minutes of ice time. Cossa was returned to the minors in the days after, where he’s been up to his usual antics. He has a 19-11-5 record and .913 save percentage through 35 games on the year and is in firm control of the Grand Rapids Grffins’ starting role. This now marks the fourth consecutive season that Cossa has posted a .913 save percentage. Dating back to his 2021-22 season, Cossa has managed the exact same mark through 46 WHL games, 46 ECHL games, 40 AHL games last year, and now 35 games this year. The performances have been shockingly unwavering through the start of his pro career.
Detroit will be able to hold onto Cossa for 30 days or 10 games before his emergency recall expires. With a full house in the goaltending room, it’s hard to picture Detroit hanging onto their minor-league starter for too long – especially as the Griffins pursue a playoff chase of their own. Mrazek has managed a team-leading .902 save percentage in five games since joining Detroit at the Trade Deadline. Lyon is closely challenging that title, though – with a .944 on Monday bringing his year-long save percentage up to a .901. While Cossa seems like a surefire bet to post a .913 wherever he goes, Detroit might find more comfort in sticking with their vets through the end of the year. The Red Wings are currently three points behind an Eastern Conference Wild Card, down a game.