With the Edmonton Oilers reportedly interested in courting head coach Mike Babcock, wouldn’t it make sense to kill two birds with one stone? If the Oilers hire Babcock, which is possible, should they try and obtain Howard, the man who Babcock trusted in net the last few seasons?
Howard is a veteran NHL goalie, is established, and still has plenty left in the tank. He had a rough second half this season after suffering an injury, but he’s still a very good option should Edmonton decide to go with a veteran this off-season.
Why Is He Out There:
Jimmy Howard was set to represent the Wings at the All-Star game this year, but suffered an injury just before the game. Howard missed some time, and never got back into form. As a result, the Red Wings benched Howard and went with youngster Petr Mrazek, who has some crazy high potential.
Mrazek is seen as the goalie of the future for the Wings, and is already pushing Howard at the NHL level. Howard has a big contract, three more years at $5.291 per season, and Detroit can’t afford to have that in the back-up spot.
With Mrazek pushing and the Wings needing money for other needs, Howard could end up being the odd man out this summer.
What Does He Do Well:
He isn’t a stud, but Jimmy Howard is a decent goalie at the NHL level. This past season, Howard appeared in 53 games and posted a .910 SV%. He posted that same mark in 51 tilts in 2013-14, and both years were viewed as down years for Howard.
His breakout years were 2011-12 and 2012-13, where he posted .920 and .923 marks respectively, both above the league average. Howard was very good as well in 2009-10, when he posted a stellar .924 mark in 63 starts before coming back down to earth and posting a .908 in 63 games in 2010-11.
Howard has never been below .905 in a season, but he’s been below .915 the last two years, suggesting that Howard has been below average for a very good Red Wings team. Now, we can factor in his injury this season, but the trend isn’t very good for Jimmy Howard.
He was sensational from 2009-10 to 2012-13, but has since taken a step back, which is a bit alarming. That said, he’s been able to handle the starter’s workload every year since 2009-10, and has usually been average. He also represents an upgrade in net for Edmonton over current options.
Where Will He Play / Where Should He Play:
Jimmy Howard is a starting goalie in the NHL, and should fill that role. In Edmonton, he’d clearly be the guy, ahead of both Scrivens and Brossoit. The fit here is pretty good, a starting goalie to fill the starting role. It wouldn’t be a case of Edmonton putting someone into a role they simply can’t handle.
What Will He Cost:
This is a tough read, because Howard is overpaid and has declined the last two seasons. That said, Howard is viewed as a starter around the NHL, and his value likely will reflect that. I’d say the low-end offers for Howard would include a draft pick, we’ll say a second rounder, and a prospect, say Bogdan Yakimov.
Closing Argument:
Jimmy Howard represents an upgrade for Edmonton in net, but there are some alarming signs here. Howard has declined the last two seasons and ran into injury trouble. On top of that, he’s overpaid for the next three seasons and is already 31 years old.
He can play at this level, and is a low-level NHL starter, but he’s not a guy I’d hand my fate to. Howard is a decent at best option who should be a fall-back plan rather than a plan A for Edmonton.
I’d steer clear from Howard this summer if possible, the asking price and contract just is not worth the player right now.
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