Is there concern for Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa?
There was a time when Sebastian Cossa was considered by many to be the top goaltending prospect coming out of the 2021 NHL Draft – better than the likes of Jesper Wallstedt and Yaroslav Askarov.
However, the Detroit Red Wings might have come to an impasse with the young netminder.
As the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings’ primary affiliate, were eliminated from the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoffs earlier this week, the question of what the organization is going to do with the 23-year-old netminder is starting to reach its zenith.
The fact that the Red Wings’ brass even has to ponder that question might be baffling, given Cossa’s incredible first half to the 2025-26 campaign. He was the backbone behind one of the greatest starts in AHL history, going 26-1-1-1 through the end of December. Grand Rapids won 15 games in a row for the second time in franchise history, becoming the fastest team in league history to reach 50 points. There was even a point, with Detroit’s netminders John Gibson and Cam Talbot struggling in the early months, that it would be worth giving Cossa an honest look with the big club.
However, while Grand Rapids still finished with the best record in the Western Conference, Cossa’s play began to tail off in the second half, similar to what happened near the end of the 2024-25 season. From the beginning of March to the end of the regular season, the Hamilton, Ont. native won just two of his eight starts, giving up at least three goals seven times over that span, including being yanked from his final game on April 19. Cossa started just four of the Griffins’ final 10 games, with first-year netminder Michal Postava taking the reins, including starting all eight of the team’s games in the playoffs.
During the Griffins’ end-of-season media availability this past weekend, Red Wings assistant general manager and Grand Rapids GM Shawn Horcoff said that having two quality goaltenders was a blessing, and Postava was simply hot at the right time of the season.
“We had a problem there that every team would want to have,” Horcoff said. “We had two fantastic goalies, two of the better goalies in the league for the entire season. Our philosophy is if you play well, you’re going to get the opportunity, that’s every position. I just think Postava down the stretch just played so good for us…he had earned that earned the start, and he just didn’t let go of it.”
Cossa recalls that it was another tough second half, individually.
“I think it was almost, not a cliche, but a tail of two tapes,” Cossa said. “Obviously, a really strong start probably all the way up to February there and…stumbled a little bit. Obviously, not the way we want to finish. Some things for me, some positives and negatives.”
Horoff noted how exceptional Cossa was this year, despite the tough end to the camapaign.
Cossa still finished with career-best numbers – a 26-8-4 record, with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage and five shutouts. Griffins head coach Dan Watson, who has coached Cossa since his rookie season with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, looks back on his fourth pro campaign in a positive light.
“He was very consistent for us for a long stretch of time,” Watson said. “Even still maybe the results weren’t there at the end of the year, but we just had another goalie elevate his game. It’s as simple as that…but Cossa, he’s not wrong. He was an all-star for a reason…you can see the numbers speak for themselves. He’s maturing and he’ll be a guy that’s got another big summer for himself.”
Yet, how he relinquished the No. 1 job at a crucial part of the season has led many outside the organization to wonder if he’s still part of the Red Wings’ future plans.
As of now, there’s one spot open on the Red Wings’ roster for a goaltender, with Cam Talbot heading into the offseason as a pending unrestricted free agent. Cossa is at the end of his entry-level contract, but won’t be waiver-exempt on his next contract. That means Detroit would have to either sign him and give him a shot in the NHL, where he has appeared in just one game so far, or try their luck at waivers to send him back to Grand Rapids.
Cossa didn’t lead on to how negotiations have been going between his camp and the Red Wings.
“I kind of let the agents handle that.”
One of the biggest hurdles Cossa has mentioned that he needs to work on is the mental side of the game, learning how to better bounce back after a tough loss. However, Horcoff recognizes how much he has seen growth from the young netminder over the past couple of years.
“He continues to improve,” Horcoff said. “He’s much more mature. He’s working his butt off in the summertime, doing everything he needs to get bigger, stronger, and he improves every single year.”
Even if Cossa were to make it back to the Griffins, it’s hard to believe how much more he can develop, given that he’s been in the AHL for three full seasons. On top of that, the team has an influx of prospective netminders that might be worth giving more playing time. Postava has been a great surprise this year, and still has one more season on his ELC. Trey Augustine, the Red Wings’ second-round pick in 2023, signed his first contract with pomp and circumstance after an exceptional career at Michigan State, including a pair of gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship. The Red Wings will want the Mike Richter Award winner to see some substantial playing time next year.
When asked about if he proved that he should be a full-time NHLer next season, Cossa stated that, while playing in Detroit is the destination, there’s lots of time between now and training camp.
“I don’t know,” Cossa admitted. “You know, see kind of how the summer goes. Obviously, I want to be there. That’s the goal. So, at the end of the day we’ll see what happens.”
Horcoff noted that it’s too early to make any definitive statements on where Cossa will be next fall, but recognizes that former Edmonton Oil King has put himself in the running for a spot in the NHL.
“We’ll have our pro meetings with the scouting staff,” Horcoff said. “Steve [Yzerman] and management, and start to put together a plan for the offseason, and into next season. So, I think it’s really premature at this point to sit here and say any decisions have been made for next year at all. The good news is Cossa had a fantastic year and he has put himself into that conversation to be in that position going to Detroit. Again, it’s early to make any sort of comments on that.”
While Wallstedt and Askarov have become NHL regulars, Cossa is at risk of being another talented goaltending prospect who ended up flaming out in the Red Wings’ system. The organization hasn’t had a homegrown netminder make it to the big time since Jimmy Howard. While the adage of “goaltenders take longer to develop” might be true, Detroit might have to make a final call on Cossa sooner than they would want to.
“We have three very capable goalies in the system, Horcoff mentioned. “Obviously, Steve is going to be some decisions to make.”