Should Detroit put John Gibson on waivers? Sebastian Cossa may be ready. — @SJimerd20941
That’s not the solution. Not yet at least. It may eventually come to that, or at least someone else going on waivers to get Cossa up to Detroit from Grand Rapids, where he is performing well in the American Hockey League, albeit in a six-game sample size because of an injury. He has a 5-1-0 record, 1.67 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. Cossa is building on last season, when he was 21-15-5 with a 2.45 GAA and .911 save percentage in 41 games with Grand Rapids.
Gibson, though, should be given more runway to prove his worth in Detroit. He’s off to a slow start with a 4-6-1 record, 3.46 GAA and .870 save percentage in 12 games, but the odd good game, like his 33-save performance in a 1-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 4 or his 31-save game in a 2-1 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 17, proves he can get his game to a higher level.
We can’t forget that the Red Wings are Gibson’s first new team in his NHL career and for a goalie, it can take some time to get adjusted to playing in a different system with all new defensemen. That’s why Gibson should not be at the end of his runway. Even more, the Red Wings acquired him to be a possible No. 1 goalie, sending goalie Petr Mrazek and two draft picks, including a second-round pick in 2027, to the Anaheim Ducks. They’re not going to give up on him after a dozen games, especially to elevate a goalie in Cossa who has one game of NHL experience, and that was in relief last season.
It’s a big year for rookie goalies with Yaroslav Askarov (San Jose Sharks), Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild), Jakub Dobes (Montreal Canadiens) and Arturs Silovs (Pittsburgh Penguins) all proving their worth in the NHL. Cossa will get his chance, maybe even this season, but not at the expense of Gibson. At least not yet.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, the NFL plays on Thanksgiving (and Christmas). The NBA plays on Christmas. The NHL … doesn’t. Why is that? Is the NHL missing an opportunity to make hockey part of our holiday traditions? — @IronCaniac
There are 15 games on Wednesday, which means all Americans can prep their Thanksgiving Day feasts with NHL hockey on however many screens they have in the house. That’s a holiday tradition I can get behind. There are also 15 games Friday, including the 2025 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins at TD Garden (1 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, TNT, SN). Add in 11 more on Saturday and four on Sunday and the NHL has a total of 45 games over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend. So, sure, there are no games on Thursday, but you can build your entire weekend around NHL hockey. That’s part of my holiday tradition.
Regarding no games on Christmas, I might be biased, but taking off Dec. 24-26 is one of the great things the NHL does for everyone who works in the League from players to team personnel to League office staff, officials, everyone. It provides a time for everyone to take a short break in the middle of a long, grinding season. It also gives a demarcation point in the schedule to fully analyze and digest what we’ve seen so far and where things could go from there. The League picks up on Dec. 27 and quickly, we get to the NHL’s best holiday celebration, the Winter Classic, which this season is part of a celebration of hockey in Florida featuring the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers at loanDepot Park in Miami on Jan. 2. The roster announcements for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 around that time are an added bonus this season.
Is the NHL missing an opportunity to play games on Thanksgiving and/or on Christmas? It’s not something I’ve thought hard about because Thanksgiving weekend always provides a busy NHL game schedule, and the lead-up to the Christmas break, and the excitement coming out of it building to the Winter Classic, with the Olympic roster announcements and soon after the Olympic tournament a bonus this season, gives the NHL fan plenty to be excited about around the holiday time of the year.
If you had a choice, which NHL city would you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving? Better yet, why? — @MrEd315
This year, it’s right at home. Being based in New Jersey, not far from Prudential Center, Madison Square Garden and UBS Arena, means a chance to see live NHL games on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday without having to go far. The New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders each have home games Wednesday. The Islanders play at home Friday. The New York Rangers have an afternoon game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, and the Devils play that night at home against the Philadelphia Flyers. And on Sunday, the Islanders are home in the afternoon against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s a holiday hockey feast right in my backyard.
