Sebastian Cossa Won’t Solve Oilers Goaltending Woes

There are many Oilers fans who are excited about the possibility of adding Cossa. After all, he went 15th overall in his draft class, stands at 6-foot-7, and has had decent success in the American Hockey League (AHL). That said, those who think he can be the answer in Edmonton’s crease as soon as this coming season are sadly mistaken.

Cossa Remains Unknown at NHL Level

One immediate concern with Cossa is why the Red Wings seem so open to moving him. Not only moving him, either, but reportedly willing to do so for just a second-round pick. That in itself should cause some concern given how highly they drafted him nearly five years ago.

Suffice to say, Cossa’s development hasn’t panned out the way the Red Wings had hoped. Even more concerning is that he’s seemingly fallen down the Red Wings depth chart, as another goalie prospect in Michal Postava is looking more and more like their future between the pipes.

Another thing to note with Cossa is that while he’s had success in the AHL, it hasn’t been flat-out dominance. This past season, for example, saw him post a 2.33 goals against average (GAA) along with a .915 save percentage (SV%) in 39 appearances for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Those are solid numbers, though they paled in comparison to Postava, who had an extraordinary 1.71 GAA and a .937 SV% in 25 appearances. With that in mind, one can’t help but consider if Cossa simply benefitted from playing behind an elite team.

Taking things one step further, Cossa has made just one NHL appearance so far in his career. It still remains to be seen whether or not he has what it takes to turn into a starting goalie. What is obvious is that he isn’t ready for that role yet.

Bringing in Cossa would result in yet another tandem duo in Edmonton, as he simply isn’t ready to take on a starting role. In fact, he’s never made more than 49 appearances in a single season since going pro. Trading for him and planning on him being on the NHL roster would mean that Jarry would still be receiving several starts. Based on what we saw in 2025-26, that would be a recipe for disaster.

Oilers Need Someone Experienced

There’s no denying that Cossa is an intriguing option between the pipes, but the time isn’t right for the Oilers to gamble on him. They need to bring in a goaltender they are confident can operate as their true number-one option, as they may only have one shot left with this core group. Rather than targeting Cossa, they should be looking to go after the likes of Filip Gustavsson or perhaps even Juuse Saros. Regardless of who it is, it needs to be a proven option at the NHL level. Cossa isn’t that, which is why the Oilers need to look elsewhere.