Detroit Red Wings: Potential Landing Spots for Jimmy Howard
By Bob Heyrman
Another Detroit Red Wings goaltender headed to the St. Louis Blues? In recent memory the Blues benefitted from the services of former goaltenders Chris Osgood and Manny Legace, could we be adding Jimmy Howard to this list?
The St.Louis Blues are getting underwhelming nightly performances from Jake Allen. He’s lost four of his last five starts and has posted below average numbers all season long. The 28-year-old most recently lost to Howard and the Wings in Detroit Wednesday night, the final score was 3-2.
Allen has started 17 games for the music notes, recording a 6-7-3 record with a less appealing .894 save percentage and an ugly 3.32Gaa. The Blues expected to be a playoff team this season before the start of the year. They find themselves down in the bottom of the litter box buried with the LA. Kings tied for a league-worst 19 total points.
Jake Allen has three years remaining on his current deal with a cap hit locked in at 4.35 million per season. I am not sure if the Blues are willing to give up on Allen altogether as he’s shown flashes of brilliance in the past. He is only 28 with term, like we mentioned before but imagine if the Detroit Red Wings could swap picks and somehow acquire Allen in a Howard deal? It is far-fetched, and it is a move that would make little sense for the Blues to make, but it could be a deal that works with their current cap situation.
If the Blues came calling for Howie and decide to keep Jake, it would be to “right the ship” with the hopes of pushing Allen and possibly mentoring him for the remainder of the season with hopes to get things turned around as a group and make a playoff push down the stretch.
The Blues do not have a 2019 first round pick, so it becomes considerably challenging to fulfill the Holland asking price. As per Darren Dreger of the hockey writers, are the Blues willing to move a prospect?
"“Now, to acquire Howard, it’s going to come at considerable cost. Is St. Louis willing to part with the assets? They don’t have a first round pick in the 2019 Draft. Are they willing to give up a prized prospect like [Jordan] Kyrou or [Robert] Thomas?”"
If the Wings were to acquire Jake Allen, it would be a brilliant move for Ken Holland and the Detroit Red Wings. He may not be a star goaltender, but the Wings have no prospects set to anchor the team in the near future. Allen could split time with Jonathan Bernier while he tries to find his way on a rebuilding Detroit Red Wings team. His cap hit is a bit more than I would like, but the Wings will be able to afford him with a lot of money coming off of the cap at the conclusion of the season.