GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. \u2014 As the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins steamrolled their way through the regular season, finishing atop the Western Conference with 107 points, the big question was what it could all mean for the Detroit Red Wings down the line.<\/p>\n
Detroit has had prospects in Grand Rapids all season, including some big names playing key roles. It\u2019s also had a deep lineup of veterans, who have been able to insulate those young players and drive the team to success.<\/p>\n
And with the playoffs underway, the focus on winning and driving a deep playoff run is only ramping up. But that underlying question of which Griffins could help the Red Wings \u2014 whether next season or beyond \u2014 is also under the microscope, and with some interesting early potential answers.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what I\u2019m seeing after three AHL playoff games, with the Griffins leading the Manitoba Moose 2-1 in a best-of-five series.<\/p>\n
Michal Postava<\/p>\n
The big story to begin the playoffs was who was in net for the Griffins \u2014 and just as notably, who wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
For much of the year, 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa was the Griffins\u2019 clear starter, playing a team-high 39 games in goal with a .915 save percentage for the sixth-best figure in the league among qualified netminders.<\/p>\n
But that number had actually been considerably higher earlier in the season, before a late-season swoon in which Cossa had an .868 save percentage across his final eight starts. Meanwhile, the Griffins\u2019 other goalie, undrafted AHL rookie Michal Postava, finished on a tear,\u00a0posting a .940 since the start of March with two shutouts down the stretch.<\/p>\n
So it wasn\u2019t necessarily a surprise when Postava earned the start for the playoff opener. What has been notable, though, is that Postava has started all three playoff games thus far \u2014 including a back-to-back in games 1 and 2 \u2014 and has been excellent in them, stopping 57 of 60 combined shots (.957), including a Game 2 shutout.<\/p>\n
By all indications, this is Postava\u2019s net right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s got full trust and confidence in him,\u201d Griffins coach Dan Watson said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve seen it all year long, from both goalies. But just down the stretch, he was seeing the puck well, extremely confident, he was playing the puck well, and it\u2019s followed right into these playoffs. So to be able to continue to throw him in the net, it\u2019s an easy decision right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a goalie who played in 25 out of 72 games this regular season, it will be interesting to see just how hard the Griffins can ride him. But Postava led his Czech team to a league title a year ago with a dominant playoffs, and he\u2019s begun these Calder Cup games in similar form.<\/p>\n
The Griffins do have a stout defense in front of him, and Watson noted Postava\u2019s actual workload in Game 3 on Wednesday \u2014 a 4-2 Griffins win \u2014 wasn\u2019t all that heavy, with the Moose generating just 17 shots on net. Watson also said that if Postava doesn\u2019t look ready to go at any point, \u201cwe\u2019ll get Cossa right in there with no problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
But again, that really just reinforces that Postava has taken control of the Griffins\u2019 net.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe continues to get better,\u201d Watson said. \u201cAnd he loves these big moments. Don\u2019t let him fool you, he\u2019s a confident kid, and he loves these big moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
That, of course, could have big-picture ramifications for the Red Wings and Cossa, who will become a restricted free agent this offseason. In theory, he should be ready for the NHL after three consecutive seasons in Grand Rapids with heavy workloads and save percentages above .910. At age 23, he still has the profile of a legit NHL goalie prospect, and the Red Wings need a backup behind John Gibson.<\/p>\n
But Cossa has just one NHL appearance to his name, and his rocky finish to the regular season makes it hard to predict whether Detroit will feel confident giving him the 25-30 starts it will need from its NHL backup next season. At his year-end news conference, general manager Steve Yzerman noted he wanted to \u201csee how the playoffs play out in Grand Rapids\u201d before deciding whether one of his AHL goalies was ready to back up Gibson. And so far, it\u2019s been all Postava.<\/p>\n
That raises questions about Cossa\u2019s future. Could it make him a trade candidate? It certainly seems plausible. But it\u2019s also early, and the Griffins have what they hope will be a long playoff run still to play out.<\/p>\n
Right now, though, Postava hasn\u2019t given the Griffins any reason to go away from him. And that\u2019s an extremely interesting development.<\/p>\n
Michael Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd and Carter Mazur<\/p>\n
Two young forwards are making their case to help the Red Wings in the near future to begin these playoffs.<\/p>\n
Detroit\u2019s two big needs are more five-on-five scoring and more heaviness throughout the lineup, but particularly in the bottom six. Both 2024 first-round pick Michael Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd and 2021 third-rounder Carter Mazur look like candidates to bring that.<\/p>\n
Both played games in Detroit this season, with Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd actually breaking camp with the team to begin the year. But the pace at times looked a little fast for him, and he wasn\u2019t able to materialize the offense the Red Wings eventually hope to get from the big-bodied winger with a booming shot.<\/p>\n
He had more luck in Grand Rapids, though, scoring 20 goals and 44 points through 60 games, and he\u2019s been one of the most noticeable Griffins players to begin the playoffs.<\/p>\n
The offense is part of that. Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd had a goal and an assist in the Griffins\u2019 Game 2 win over the Moose last weekend, and he was involved in more offensive chances Wednesday, with his shot and by being in the hardest areas of the ice. Those are the hallmarks of his game and should allow him to bring some hard, playoff-style offense to the Red Wings. He was a point-per-game player in three AHL playoff games last season (two goals, one assist) and has two in his first three of this series as well.<\/p>\n
And beyond that, he finished every check he could Wednesday \u2014 the exact kind of physicality the Red Wings need.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe plays a North American pro style already, in terms of his physicality,\u201d Watson said. \u201cHe\u2019s a really good forechecker. Obviously, we know he\u2019s got a good shot. He\u2019s still trying to find his way to get open to find those shots, but his overall awareness, his defensive play \u2014 I put him out there the last couple shifts (protecting a lead), just, I trust him. And he\u2019s going to do the right things. He\u2019s strong on pucks, he protects pucks, he\u2019s hard to knock off pucks.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, it was his linemate Mazur who found the net, scoring twice: once after knocking down a puck and quickly ripping it past the Moose\u2019s netminder, and another into an empty net to seal the game. Mazur\u2019s had a tough go with injuries, and he\u2019s a tricky player to predict as a result, but there are still a lot of likeable qualities to his game, starting with his effort and willingness to play in the hard areas but extending to a perhaps-underrated shot.<\/p>\n
Mazur got a late run in Detroit at the end of this season, and though he didn\u2019t produce, he also seemed to find his game more toward the end of that stint. He\u2019s another one who could bring some new elements to Detroit\u2019s bottom six next season, if he can stay healthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s one of the guys that\u2019s not going to change his game too much (in Detroit or Grand Rapids),\u201d Watson said. \u201cYeah, I think he\u2019s going to produce more offense at this level, but he goes up there, he\u2019s physical, he\u2019s getting pucks to the net, he\u2019s getting himself to the net. He\u2019s in the corners battling, he\u2019s blocking shots. He\u2019s doing everything that\u2019s part of his identity and what\u2019s in his DNA. He comes back here, does the exact same thing, but now he\u2019s got a little more puck touch at this level. I hope that translates to the NHL, but for him it\u2019s all about just getting back down here, enjoying this time of year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anton Johansson<\/p>\n
The Griffins\u2019 best defenseman Wednesday was Erik Gustafsson, the longtime NHLer who has embraced a veteran role in Grand Rapids this season and has looked every bit like an NHLer in this series. He\u2019s been excellent and had a goal and an assist in Game 3.<\/p>\n
But among the prospects, I continue to be highly impressed by Anton Johansson, the 2022 fourth-round pick who stood out in a late-season stint with the Griffins last year and has come back again looking even better.<\/p>\n
Johansson\u2019s tools have always popped; he\u2019s big at 6-foot-4, a strong skater and has a big shot with some bite to his game. That\u2019s a great package. But where I thought he had some wild horse to his game last spring, he now looks more in control. He can skate the puck up ice, make the right pass and put lots of shots on net: 12 through the first three games of this series. He walked in for a great chance in the first period Wednesday but hit the post.<\/p>\n
He doesn\u2019t yet have a point in these playoffs, but he\u2019s been highly noticeable \u2014 and, like Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd, showed plenty of physicality, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a more mature player,\u201d Watson said. \u201cCertainly exudes confidence out there. Great skater, plays a long game. I think when he got over here last year, it took him those 8-10 games to get used to the pace, get used to North American hockey, if you will. Now, he came here, he knew what to expect. \u2026 That\u2019s why we put guys in situations at the end of the year when they get here. They need that experience. And now you see the type of player he is for us this series so far.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Griffins have been listing Johansson and his defense partner William Wallinder as their third defense pair, but Johansson played over 20 minutes in Game 2, and I\u2019d be surprised if he wasn\u2019t right around there in Game 3.<\/p>\n
It might be a bit bold, because he remains a bit skinny and has limited experience in North America, but there\u2019s a real chance we\u2019re talking about Johansson\u2019s pushing for a roster spot in Detroit as soon as next season.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkilled guy, plays tough, too,\u201d Gustafsson said. \u201cVery good in his own zone. (Has) a good stick. I\u2019m impressed with his game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. \u2014 As the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins steamrolled their way through the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418951,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[1786,385,99],"class_list":["post-629044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-detroit-red-wings","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}