GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — 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.
Detroit has had prospects in Grand Rapids all season, including some big names playing key roles. It’s also had a deep lineup of veterans, who have been able to insulate those young players and drive the team to success.
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 — whether next season or beyond — is also under the microscope, and with some interesting early potential answers.
Here’s what I’m seeing after three AHL playoff games, with the Griffins leading the Manitoba Moose 2-1 in a best-of-five series.
Michal Postava
The big story to begin the playoffs was who was in net for the Griffins — and just as notably, who wasn’t.
For much of the year, 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa was the Griffins’ 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.
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’ other goalie, undrafted AHL rookie Michal Postava, finished on a tear, posting a .940 since the start of March with two shutouts down the stretch.
So it wasn’t 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 — including a back-to-back in games 1 and 2 — and has been excellent in them, stopping 57 of 60 combined shots (.957), including a Game 2 shutout.
By all indications, this is Postava’s net right now.
“Everyone’s got full trust and confidence in him,” Griffins coach Dan Watson said. “And we’ve 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’s followed right into these playoffs. So to be able to continue to throw him in the net, it’s an easy decision right now.”
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’s begun these Calder Cup games in similar form.
The Griffins do have a stout defense in front of him, and Watson noted Postava’s actual workload in Game 3 on Wednesday — a 4-2 Griffins win — wasn’t all that heavy, with the Moose generating just 17 shots on net. Watson also said that if Postava doesn’t look ready to go at any point, “we’ll get Cossa right in there with no problem.”
But again, that really just reinforces that Postava has taken control of the Griffins’ net.
“He continues to get better,” Watson said. “And he loves these big moments. Don’t let him fool you, he’s a confident kid, and he loves these big moments.”
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.
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 “see how the playoffs play out in Grand Rapids” before deciding whether one of his AHL goalies was ready to back up Gibson. And so far, it’s been all Postava.
That raises questions about Cossa’s future. Could it make him a trade candidate? It certainly seems plausible. But it’s also early, and the Griffins have what they hope will be a long playoff run still to play out.
Right now, though, Postava hasn’t given the Griffins any reason to go away from him. And that’s an extremely interesting development.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Carter Mazur
Two young forwards are making their case to help the Red Wings in the near future to begin these playoffs.
Detroit’s 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-Nygård and 2021 third-rounder Carter Mazur look like candidates to bring that.
Both played games in Detroit this season, with Brandsegg-Nygård actually breaking camp with the team to begin the year. But the pace at times looked a little fast for him, and he wasn’t able to materialize the offense the Red Wings eventually hope to get from the big-bodied winger with a booming shot.
He had more luck in Grand Rapids, though, scoring 20 goals and 44 points through 60 games, and he’s been one of the most noticeable Griffins players to begin the playoffs.
The offense is part of that. Brandsegg-Nygård had a goal and an assist in the Griffins’ 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.
And beyond that, he finished every check he could Wednesday — the exact kind of physicality the Red Wings need.
“He plays a North American pro style already, in terms of his physicality,” Watson said. “He’s a really good forechecker. Obviously, we know he’s got a good shot. He’s still trying to find his way to get open to find those shots, but his overall awareness, his defensive play — I put him out there the last couple shifts (protecting a lead), just, I trust him. And he’s going to do the right things. He’s strong on pucks, he protects pucks, he’s hard to knock off pucks.”
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’s netminder, and another into an empty net to seal the game. Mazur’s had a tough go with injuries, and he’s 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.
Mazur got a late run in Detroit at the end of this season, and though he didn’t produce, he also seemed to find his game more toward the end of that stint. He’s another one who could bring some new elements to Detroit’s bottom six next season, if he can stay healthy.
“He’s one of the guys that’s not going to change his game too much (in Detroit or Grand Rapids),” Watson said. “Yeah, I think he’s going to produce more offense at this level, but he goes up there, he’s physical, he’s getting pucks to the net, he’s getting himself to the net. He’s in the corners battling, he’s blocking shots. He’s doing everything that’s part of his identity and what’s in his DNA. He comes back here, does the exact same thing, but now he’s got a little more puck touch at this level. I hope that translates to the NHL, but for him it’s all about just getting back down here, enjoying this time of year.”
Anton Johansson
The Griffins’ 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’s been excellent and had a goal and an assist in Game 3.
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.
Johansson’s tools have always popped; he’s big at 6-foot-4, a strong skater and has a big shot with some bite to his game. That’s 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.
He doesn’t yet have a point in these playoffs, but he’s been highly noticeable — and, like Brandsegg-Nygård, showed plenty of physicality, too.
“He’s a more mature player,” Watson said. “Certainly 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. … That’s 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.”
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’d be surprised if he wasn’t right around there in Game 3.
It might be a bit bold, because he remains a bit skinny and has limited experience in North America, but there’s a real chance we’re talking about Johansson’s pushing for a roster spot in Detroit as soon as next season.
“Skilled guy, plays tough, too,” Gustafsson said. “Very good in his own zone. (Has) a good stick. I’m impressed with his game.”
