So I admittedly was slightly put-off when the Wings signed Conklin last month, as I'm sure a fair amount of people were (it's ok, you don't have to admit it).Don't get me wrong, it's not like I thought it was a bad idea, I definitely understand the benefit of it. Also, I realize that Ozzy's not getting any younger and they DO need more (preferably veteran) depth, I just had a lot of hope to see Howard out there next season, as he has a lot of potential and he really needs to get as much NHL time as possible.
I never saw it as a definite decision that Howard would be automatically pushed back to the #3 goaltender and would be kept in GR yet another season, however it definitely did cross my mind (a lot) and I honestly did assume that's the way it would end up (to my slight dismay).
Yet there seems to be hope! In an article published today on redwings.nhl.com, assistant general manager, Jim Nill, had this to say:
“The concern was if Chris Osgood or Jimmy got hurt, what’s our next option? That’s why we signed Ty. Chris is the No. 1 goalie and we’re going to let Conklin and Howard fight it out for the No. 2 spot.”
Hmm. Interesting.
Howard himself said this when asked about how he would be approaching the situation during training camp:
“I’m going into camp thinking I have to make that decision so hard for Kenny, Jim and Babs (coach Mike Babcock) that they have don’t have a choice but to keep me.”
Great attitude, kid. I'm in your corner.
Read Article : (http://redwings.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=368315)
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