Ken Holland has a lot on his mind these days.
As the Detroit Red Wings' general manager prepares for an announcement Saturday with regards to Pavel Datsyuk's future, he's also contemplating a trade involving Jimmy Howard, who has been supplanted as the starting goalie by Petr Mrazek.
"I can see on the one hand that having two goaltenders, it’s a nice luxury," Holland said, according to Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. "Certainly Jimmy Howard played an important role down the stretch in our team qualifying for the playoffs.
"(A trade) might be good for some careers and good for the organization. I’ve thought about it lots."
Mrazek, 24, is set to become a restricted free agent, and posted better numbers in 2015-16 than the 32-year-old Howard, who's on the books for three more seasons at a cap hit of $5,291,666.
| Player | Games | Record | Sv% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Howard | 37 | 14-14-15 | .906 |
| Petr Mrazek | 54 | 27-16-6 | .921 |
Howard was given the opportunity to start for Detroit to begin the playoffs, but posted a save percentage of .891 in two losses to Tampa Bay before Mrazek entered and allowed four goals over the next three games.
Whether there's a team out there willing to take on Howard's contract and seemingly diminished skills remains to be seen.
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