Through most of his first season as the top goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings, Ville Husso was the team’s most valuable player.
That he wasn’t able to sustain that strong play to the finish line dismayed Husso. His bosses, not so much. Husso finished the 2022-23 season with a 26-22-7 record, a 3.11 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage. Those numbers reflect how much Husso struggled the final month, when he allowed four or more goals in five of his final seven starts; over that stretch, he had a 4.67 GAA and .835 save percentage.
“I’m not happy the last couple months, personally,” Husso said before his final game. “Always you want to win more games. The start was good. Then I don’t know, the last couple months, not happy at all about my play. Something that I need to work on this summer and come fully ready for next year.”
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In late March, there was some question as to whether Husso would even finish the season, because he had been dealing with what coach Derek Lalonde described as a nagging lower-body injury. But visits to multiple specialists convinced Husso and the team that he would be best off returning to the net, because it would give trainers a chance to see how he responded. So, after a two-week layoff, Husso returned to work, playing in six of the Wings’ last seven games to finish with a career-high 56 starts.
“I think Ville had a very, very good season,” general manager Steve Yzerman said. “It’s the most games he’s ever played in the NHL. His numbers at the end of the season aren’t good. He’s been dealing with an injury. At one point, we weren’t sure if he was going to play again, and then the plan became, ‘Hey, let’s get out there and see you do for the rest of the season.‘ Physically, I think he did fine, but I think he wasn’t necessarily maybe mentally ready to play these last couple weeks.
“I think the good news is that physically he went through it OK. But I think we would all recognize what a tough job it is and I think it he is only going to get better for it. I think he did a really good job for beyond half of the season, for two-thirds of the season, three-quarters of the season, he won a lot of hockey games for us. The challenge is going to be, ‘OK, I know what it is, how do I do this night in and night out.‘ But for the most part, I am very pleased with his play.”
Husso had a 2.65 GAA and .907 save percentage when the Wings won on Feb. 23 and climbed inside the playoff picture. Over the next two weeks, the team was gutted, losing players to the trade deadline and injuries.
“Our team the last 20 games, we weren’t as strong of a lineup, and that forced him to make more saves, and at times it was tough for him,” Yzerman said. “But overall, I am encouraged and I expect him to be better next year for the experience he has had.”
In his last game, Husso looked in top form in the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning — and then let in three goals in the third period, his play mirroring that of his teammates.
“Once in the offseason, you look at his bottom-line numbers and unfortunately they’re going to be poor,” Lalonde said. “But he has given us some really good hockey. He’s won us a lot of game. He’s looked like a 1A many times.”
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The Wings dealt for Husso, 28, last summer from the St. Louis Blues, then signed him to a three-year, $14.25 million contract. Despite his late-season struggles, it was a good first season — the Wings got a feeling for what they have in Husso, and he got a sense of how much it takes to be the go-to guy in net.
“It’s not easy to be a goalie, especially when your mental part is not there,” Husso said. “You lose a couple games, it’s always hard. But it’s a good, I kind of like that it happened at the end there. I’m looking at the big picture — those are times when you get better and you look at the mirror and you just go back to work.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
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Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.