A blockbuster trade is imminent in Edmonton, according to Elliotte Friedman
Steve Yzerman is moving Sebastian Cossa to the Edmonton Oilers, with Elliotte Friedman reporting Monday night that the deal is being finalized.
Cossa is Detroit's top goaltending prospect, a big-framed young goalie the Red Wings have been developing with an eye toward the future.
Except now he's reportedly someone else's future.
For Yzerman, this is a calculated decision to cash in on prospect value at a time when Detroit has other needs. The Red Wings finished 41-31-10 this season, 16th overall, allowing 258 goals against at 3.1 per game.
John Gibson handled the starter's load at a .902 save percentage over 57 games. That's a legitimate number. Cameron Talbot was considerably worse at .882 in 34 starts behind him.
The crease isn't the most desperate thing on the Detroit roster right now. And Yzerman clearly decided Cossa's value was better used as currency.
Edmonton acquires a long-term piece as Jarry continues to struggle in net
Stan Bowman needed this. Tristan Jarry posted an .882 save percentage in 33 games for the Oilers this season. Connor Ingram was better at .898 in 32 starts, but Edmonton still allowed 269 goals against and finished 14th overall at 41-30-11.
That's not a crease you win a Cup with. Not with Connor McDavid carrying a 138-point season and the window open as wide as it gets.
Cossa won't solve next October overnight. He's a prospect, not a plug-and-play starter, and anyone expecting him to walk in and carry the Oilers is setting up for disappointment. But the Oilers are now looking at a genuine future option behind whoever starts Game 1 next fall.
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Detroit went 2-6-2 over its last 10 games to close the regular season and lost 8-1 in Florida on the final day. A rebuild isn't the word Yzerman would use. But moving a top goalie prospect while Gibson is still capable of starting suggests the timeline in Detroit has shifted.
The Red Wings split their two games against Edmonton this season, winning 4-2 at home in October before dropping a 4-1 decision in Alberta in December. Yzerman watched that series closely.
He saw exactly what Edmonton needs. And he found a way to get paid for it.
Whether Bowman still needs a proven starter on top of this is the question nobody in Edmonton has answered yet.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mitch Marner | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shea Theodore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brayden McNabb | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Martinook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jackson Blake | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Karlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jaccob Slavin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||