Blackhawks steal Patrick Kane's teammate: a huge opportunity arises following surprise on NHL waivers

PUBLICATION

Joshua Deeds
October 13, 2024 (4:40 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Detroit Red Wings have made a massive move today, as Elliotte Friedman of 32 Thoughts Podcast reports that goalie Ville Husso is on waivers.

The move was announced, as a way to make room for salary cap space, as he has a $4.75 Million salary cap hit.

His play hasn't been up to par since his last year in St. Louis in 2021-22, where he posted a 25-7-6 record, 2.56 GAA, and a .919 save percentage.

The move will allow the team to create cap space in order to call up someone else in the lineup as Jeff Petry and Christian Fischer are out injured.

The Blackhawks could sign Ville Husso as a reclamation project, and depth goalie.

With Drew Commesso and Arvid Soderblom being the two main goalies in the AHL, he could help mentor them in Rockford and serve as a call-up for the Blackhawks, if Laurent Brossoit or Petr Mrazek is out or injured.

Husso'scurrent contract is $4.75 Million and the Blackhawks could sign and waive him and bury his money in the AHL while benefitting from his experience playing in the league from 2020-2021.

Consistency is becoming less of an issue as he moves through the prime of his career. He tracks pucks well and covers a lot of space around the crease because of his size. Netminders generally tend to take longer to develop, and he is yet another example. Long Range Potential: Huge, late-blooming goaltender.

As long as the Blackhawks help him find his way back to consistency, this could be a low-risk, high-reward signing as well.

"The most important thing with Ville is feeling healthy, and he feels 100%," Lalonde said at the Red Wings' recent "Street Hockey in the D" event, underscoring the centrality of health or a lack thereof to Husso's '23-24 season. "He feels healthy. Too bad last year on the injuries, because he had a really good offseason. If you guys recall, he came in leaner, probably had his best summer he's had off the ice, so I think that's something he can build on."

He could use this signing with the Blackhawks, should GM Kyle Davidson explores the idea as a way to revive his career, much like other NHLers have had. I.E. Max Domi, Jason Dickinson, and others who have benefitted from the team's rebuilding over the last few years.