2 More Teams Enter The Offseason Search For A Goalie

There will be a handful of teams looking to upgrade goaltending this offseason with a weaker group of available goaltenders to choose from. According to Jeff Marek, we can add the Utah Mammoth and the Detroit Red Wings to the teams in search of help in net.

Detroit in particular is very interesting. The team acquired Petr Mrazek with one year left on his contract this season to be in a tandem with Cam Talbot, who also has one more year left on his deal. Alex Lyon is a free agent and Sebastian Cossa isn't ready to be a number one yet.

The Red Wings are in a transitional period in net, but the team is desperate to win and make the playoffs, so it is an interesting spot. I don't disagree with the choice to upgrade if the Red Wings can pull it off and a move actually be an upgrade. Are goalies like Jake Allen, Anton Forsberg, and Ilya Samsonov really upgrades to Mrazek and Talbot? I don't believe so.

What does make sense for Detroit is bringing in John Gibson. He has two years left at $6.4 million AAV and it appears as though Lukas Dostal has taken over the starting role despite how well Gibson did play this season. Sending Mrazek back to be a 1b or backup to Dostal for a year while the Red Wings bring in a goalie with a higher ceiling and an extra year could work out for both sides, even if an asset has to be attached somewhere. Cossa should be ready for full time NHL duties by the following year.

The Mammoth makes more sense. Karel Vejmelka had a strong season and proved to be a number one, but was overworked and that was clear. With Connor Ingram spending time on the injured reserve and Utah in the playoff chase, Vejmelka played every game. The team needs help and would be willing to move off of Ingram as it seems the choice in net is Vejmelka. For the backup position, the Mammoth could pick someone up in free agency and be fine. Just having a healthy backup that can be played is an upgrade.