Detroit Red Wings: 3 potential destinations for Jimmy Howard
By Bob Heyrman
Edmonton Oilers
It is the Ken Holland connection coming into play here. The former Detroit Red Wings general manager loves to go back to the well of players he’s familiar with. Just last season, Holland made a trade with his former club, landing one of his recent favorites in Mike Green.
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In a separate deal, Yzerman sent pending restricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou to the Oilers as well. We’ve seen Holland sign veteran after veteran after veteran free agent as the primary decision-maker in Detroit’s front office.
What is stopping the former Detroit Red Wings general manager from doing it again?
The Edmonton Oilers received spotty effort from 38-year old Mike Smith last season, and he’s likely to be seeking employment elsewhere as he’s a pending free agent. The starter in Edmonton is expected to be Mikko Koskinen, who produced an 18-13-3 record last season posting a stellar .917 save percentage and a 2.75 goals-against average.
The Oilers will be looking to add a batterymate to Koskinen next season, and isn’t it just the Ken Holland thing to do to bring in his former workhorse from Detroit, Jimmy Howard?
As you can see by this shortlist, Howard will be hard-pressed for work heading into next season, but if he has a credible agent, making a phone call to his old friend Ken Holland should be reasonably high on the list of tasks to accomplish.
The Oilers will be a playoff team behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl but need help on the backend. Expect Holland to try and make a splash in free agency and pair a premier defender with Darnell Nurse. Alex Pietrangelo would be the perfect target.
If the Oilers indeed take that route, paying a netminder, multiple millions will not be an option. With no minor league goalie ready to emerge at the NHL level, Howard may become a real option in Edmonton.
Next. Alex Pietrangelo free agency sweepstakes is heating up. dark
Of all the options mentioned, I think this one has the best possibility of happening.