Red Wings Enter Training Camp With An Undecided Goalie Race

If you are a Detroit Red Wings fan wondering how the team’s goaltending rotation will unfold this fall, know that GM Steve Yzerman is wondering the same.

“Let’s just see how things go,” Yzerman said as he discussed Thursday’s start of Red Wings training camp in Traverse City,

The Red Wings are holding an open competition in training camp for four NHL experienced goalies — Jack Campbell, Ville Husso, Alex Lyon and Cam Talbot — all looking for playing time.

“That’s not a decision we have to make today,” Yzerman said. “We went with three goaltenders last year, and Ville was pretty much hurt virtually all season. You know, it’s not an ideal situation to carry three, but potentially, if we have to do that one, I want to make sure Ville Husso is 100% healthy and playing. And today he is. But he hasn’t played a game situation in a long time. So we want to see him how he does in the preseason and we’ll reevaluate this thing as we go along. But if I have to, if we have to, we’ll manage with three goaltenders.”

Heath Concern

Open competition or not, Yzerman obviously has thoughts about what he expects, or wants, to happen. But he’s not someone who tips his hand.

The Red Wings have concerns about Husso’s health.  It doesn’t seem like Yzerman would have signed 37-year-old veteran Talbot if he didn’t expect him to play a role.  Talbot played well last season for the Los Angeles Kings. Also, Jack Campbell’s reputation of being a good guy, a first-rate citizen makes him an ideal option to pair with young Sebastian Cossa in Grand Rapids.

But Yzerman wants to see where everyone is at in training camp. He is keeping an open mind. “We’ll wait to see how things play out,” Yzerman said.

Yzerman has more pressing matters like finalizing a new deal with Moritz Seider for a new contract. Now that Lucas Raymond is done, Seider is clearly his top priority. Yzerman has $8.75 million remaining under the salary cap.  We can all guess that Yzerman would prefer not to pay Seider more than captain Dylan Larkin ($8.7 million).

” I don’t think we’re terribly far apart, but we’ll see,” Yzerman said. “Hopefully we can progress to getting them here as soon as possible.”

Once Seider signs, Yzerman will have full roster of veterans, plus big, gritty forward Austin Watson on a PTO. Yzerman will have to carve out space if a rookie like Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson or Michael Brandsegg-Nygard earns a place on the team.

“Every player that’s coming into training camp here, whether they’re on a PTO or ATO for that matter, a first year pro, I think deep down inside they have hope: “Hey, I’m going to impress those guys enough that they’re going to think about keeping me,” Yzerman said.

Is There Room for Rookies?

Yzerman has been clear since he arrived in Detroit that a prospect has to earn a place on the roster. If he does that, Yzerman will find a place on the roster.

Raymond is trying to get to Traverse City as soon as possible. If Seider signs quickly, Yzerman doesn’t anticipate any problem getting work visas for either.

“We have a plan in place,” Yzerman said. “They’re currently on their old visas, and as long as you apply for a new visa while a player is under an existing visa, I think you can expedite. It pretty quickly becomes an issue for a player if their visa is expired.”

The Red Wings will culminate their training camp with the Red and White intrasquad game on Sunday afternoon. Detroit’s preseasons schedule starts, Wednesday, Sept. 25 in Chicago at 8 p.m., ET. The first home preseason game is Friday at 7 p.m. against the Blackhawks.