- Detroit traded up to No. 15 in 2021 to draft Sebastian Cossa, then dealt him five years later for No. 23
- Cossa has one NHL game on his record and three straight AHL seasons at .910 or better
- Read below for what Utah’s crease looks like with Karel Vejmelka signed through 2030
Detroit paid a premium to land Sebastian Cossa. Five years later, the Red Wings moved him for less than they gave up.
Back in 2021, Detroit moved up eight spots to take the 6-foot-6 goalie at No. 15, sending picks 23, 48 and 138 to Dallas to get there.
On June 26 they sent him the other way for a single first-rounder. Utah got Cossa, Detroit got No. 23 and spent it on winger J.P. Hurlbert.
The Mammoth signed him four days later to a two-year deal at $2 million per season.
Cossa was asked what he knew about Salt Lake City before the trade. His answer went back a full year, to a conversation with an old junior teammate.
“Talking to (Mammoth forward) Dylan Guenther last summer even, he couldn’t stop raving about this place, so I knew it was a good organization coming in right away.”
Catch Cossa on his first impressions of Utah:
General manager Bill Armstrong told NHL.com his staff had been tracking Cossa since his draft year, and that his age and workload finally lined up.
“He’s at the point where he’s accumulated enough games in the (AHL), and his age is absolutely perfect and now he’s going to have that opportunity to take that next step.”
Karel Vejmelka still owns the crease, and he is not a placeholder. He went 38-20-3 with a .897 save percentage in 64 games and dragged Utah to its first playoff berth, then posted an .885 mark across six postseason starts. His extension runs through 2029-30 at $4.75 million.
The case for him is built in the minors. He has finished at .910 or better in each of his three seasons as Grand Rapids’ starter, including a 26-8-4 record with a 2.33 goals-against average and five shutouts in 39 games last year.
His NHL file is one line long. He relieved Ville Husso against Buffalo on Dec. 9, 2024, stopped 14 shots, shut the door in the shootout and got the win.
Nobody has handed him anything yet, and he knows it. Speaking with The Hockey News, Cossa framed the backup job as a starting point.
“It’s super exciting. It’s been a long path, and for me, it’s going there and earning the job. It’s still a big summer for me; I want to go there and earn that and show they made the right decision.”
Cossa opens the season as Vejmelka’s backup. Whether he is still the backup come March is the part worth watching.
