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G Jimmy Howard Won’t Be Back With Red Wings, Talks Next Steps

Goaltender Jimmy Howard has said he probably won’t be back with the Red Wings next season, talks about his next steps.

As per a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, goaltender Jimmy Howard is not ready to retire, but he’s not going to be returning to the Detroit Red Wings next season.

Friedman said he spoke with Howard and when asked about whether or not the 36-year-old pending unrestricted free agent would be back with the Red Wings said, “probably not”. That said, he also noted that he has no plans to retire. “Someone is going to have to tell me I can’t play anymore,” he noted.

Howard did not have a good season in 2019-20 so he’s going to have a difficult time finding work in a flooded goaltending market. He posted career lows with a 4.20 GAA and a .882 save percentage in 27 appearances and while a lot of that has to go to the team that played in front of him (Detroit was 17-49-5), Howard understands his future is going to lay in the hands of GM willing to take a chance on him.

He told Friedman that last year is not the way he wants to finish his career and said he’s been training for two months in preparation for another shot. He’s talked to his family about possibly having to move away for a year if an NHL team near their home doesn’t call. Worse yet, what if no NHL team does?

Would Howard consider going overseas?

This Is the Offseason of Strange Changes

Howard’s news that he won’t be back with the Red Wings makes him one of close to a half-dozen players who will look very strange in new jerseys. Mikko Koivu will be moving on from the Minnesota Wild, Braden Holtby is likely done in Washington and Alex Pietrangelo is talking to teams not named the St. Louis Blues. For Howard, he spent 14 with the Red Wings after being taken in the second round of the 2003 NHL draft.

For the Red Wings, it makes sense to move on. They have cap space, there are a number of goaltenders to select from and new GM Steve Yzerman is not committed to the player after having him for only one season.

Next: Oilers Will “Tinker” With Roster This Offseason, No Big Changes

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