The Detroit Red Wings’ difficult second half of the 2022-2023 season took another hit when coach Derek Lalonde announced that starting goaltender Ville Husso will miss at least another week on Monday.
Lalonde said the goalie is still being evaluated for the lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for the past two games. With just ten games left and the Wings far out of the playoff picture, that could mean Husso will not return this season.
Husso has not been in goal for Detroit since March 18 when he was pulled from a five-goal blitz courtesy of the Colorado Avalanche. Alex Nedeljkovic has taken Finn’s roster spot in his absence.
For the Red Wings, Husso had been a rare reliable presence in a year full of turnover. He had started a career-high 51 games with a 3.01 GAA and .899 save percentage, both bests in a lackluster Detroit goaltending battery.
Husso is in the first year of a three-year, $4.75 million AAV contract that will last through 2025. The goaltender finished in the top ten for Vezina voting with the rival St. Louis Blues in 2021-2022.
Husso’s injury is the latest in a laundry list of ailments for the slumping Red Wings. Forwards Michael Rasmussen and Robby Fabbri are unlikely to return this season as they battle lower-body injuries of their own; veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot is week-to-week as the season enters its homestretch.
Nejeljkovic will make his second-consecutive start in Husso’s absence when Detroit hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. He stopped 19 of 21 shots during a 3-0 loss to the Flyers that was just his second appearance of 2023.
The Red Wings are 3-7 in their last 10 tries and have fallen below .500 for the first time this season. With the postseason out of the picture, Lalonde and GM Steve Yzerman will try to take positives from the remaining schedule.
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