Detroit Red Wings trade for St. Louis Blues regular-season star goalie Ville Husso
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10:29 AM ET
Greg WyshynskiESPN
Close Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
MONTREAL — The Detroit Red Wings have acquired St. Louis Blues goalie Ville Husso, who was a pending unrestricted free agent.
Detroit sent a third-round pick, the 73rd overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, to the Blues for Husso.
Husso has agreed to a three-year contract with Detroit worth $4.75 million against the salary cap per multiple reports.
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Husso, 27, had a breakout campaign for the Blues in his second NHL season. He had a 25-7-6 record, a .919 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against average. He took over the crease from starter Jordan Binnington during the regular season, playing 40 games, but lost it back to him in the playoffs where Husso struggled: .890 save percentage and a 3.67 GAA, including games in which he replaced the injured Binnington against the Colorado Avalanche.
Prior to signing with Detroit, Husso was set to become an unrestricted free agent. Given the shallowness of that market, he was expected to receive contract offers that would eclipse what the Blues could pay him on a new deal.
The Red Wings are expected to pair him with goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, whom they acquired last summer from the Carolina Hurricanes. Veteran goalie Thomas Greiss, who played 31 games for Detroit last season, is also an unrestricted free agent.
The trade reaffirms the Blues’ commitment to Binnington, who has a no-trade clause and $6 million cap hit through 2027. The only other goalie to play at least five games for St. Louis last season was 28-year-old Charlie Lindgren, who is also an unrestricted free agent.