In the evening hours of February 24^th, 2025, the Anaheim Ducks sent franchise legend, Future Considerations, to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for veteran goaltender Ville Husso. At first glance, this deal makes little sense for the Ducks as they already roster Lukas Dostal and John Gibson, while keeping Oscar Dansk and Calle Clang in the minors in case of an injury. On a deeper level, the deal still makes little sense, as Husso’s $4,750,000 cap hit weighs heavily on Anaheim’s payroll, regardless of if he plays in the NHL or the AHL. So, what’s the logic in acquiring a player like Husso? Well, simply, it is likely a gamble by Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek and Husso himself.

               It is not a secret that after signing his three-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings on July 8^th, 2022, that Husso did not live up to the expectations that he or the Red Wings had for him as their Fringe Starter. During the 2021-2022 campaign, Husso was sensational in 38 starts in a supporting role to Canadian hockey hero, Jordan Binnington, with a 91.9% save percentage and a GSAA of 15.00. This stellar single season performance led him to a starting role with Detroit during the 2022-2023 campaign that saw him struggle with a -13.55 GSAA in 56 starts. Despite the struggle in his first year, Husso did improve to a -6.3 GSAA in 18 starts in a backup role in his second season, driven by an increase in his HDsc SV% from 81.7% to 84.9% at 5vs5. His third year, this year, saw him post a -7.1 GSAA in 8 starts before being sent down the AHL. Playing in a tandem with Yzerplan favorite Sebastian Cossa and former Maple Leaf standout Jack Campbell, Husso posted a 91.2% save percentage in 13 starts, the median point of Cossa and Campbell.

               Logically, Husso has been an average AHL goalie, who has stabilized his play to a level where he must be confident in his ability on any given night. Looking at the Ducks roster, John Gibson has returned to a similar output as his 2018-2019 season by posting a 9.1 GSAA through 23 starts. Ideally, Pat Verbeek will find a competitive team to exchange pieces with to give Gibson a chance at the Stanley Cup. If he is able to close, unlike a certain GM in the Metropolitan division, the Ducks will need to figure out what to do behind Dostal. If the Ducks were competing with Chicago and San Jose for the top pick, riding out the rest of the season with Dansk and Clang in goal wouldn’t be a terrible option; however, Verbeek did imply that Ducks would be playing meaningful games toward the end of the 2024-2025 season. If Husso can play with confidence on the heels of a John Gibson trade, his support to Dostal could propel the Ducks to within a handful of points out of a playoff spot and potentially leverage him into his next NHL contract as either the Ducks back-up in 2025-26, or any other goalie-desperate team (Pittsburgh, cough, cough). If not, the Ducks can still roll with Dansk and/or Clang for the rest of the season. For a team with $16,000,000+ in cap space before this trade, it’s an intelligent gamble to make.