Confirmed with Link: Jimmy Howard re-signed for 6 years 5.3m per year

[detredWINgs]

Perhaps the scariest thing about this contract is, if Howard can't live up to this deal, Hockeytown is going to eat him alive. And I don't think he's the kind of guy who can withstand that kind of pressure.

Its one thing to **** the bed when you're getting paid a pittance. Its another thing entirely when you're paid to be a star.

 

[joe89]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/692570-behind-the-mask-is-a-big-name-goalie-a-requisite-for-success

http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2010/01/27/the-league’s-10-highest-paid-goalies/

Good to see Kenny sticking to his guns, once again.

I was just posting pretty much the same thing, I just find it strange that Holland obviously now has a different take on this, unless he considers Howard to be a top 6 goaltender in the NHL

Don't know if he does, but there'd be some ground backing it up based on consistency. You could at least make the case for top10. Among active goaltenders(minimum 100GP) only Rask, Thomas, Lundqvist, Rinne, Luongo and Backstrom have a career SV% better than him. Howard at .917 is equally good to Hiller, Halak, Vokoun and Niemi and among those only Vokoun stands out having kept that over 697 games(the others have between 200-300 GP).

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Perhaps the scariest thing about this contract is, if Howard can't live up to this deal, Hockeytown is going to eat him alive. And I don't think he's the kind of guy who can withstand that kind of pressure.

Its one thing to **** the bed when you're getting paid a pittance. Its another thing entirely when you're paid to be a star.

Yeah, people eat Franzen alive and he has consistently outproduced his cap figure. I think Jimmy will be fine, we aren't nice to goalies no matter what, I am sure he has figured that out by now. But it is going to be rough if he has a dip in his numbers or looks like the guy from his sophomore season in Detroit at any point.

 

[DatsyukToZetterberg]

Too long of term. Whatever on the money. Jimmy hasn't earned that money. Another potential contract as far as I'm concerned. Can't wait to see Flip signed for 5 years at 27M and Daniel 2 yrs 6M!

Yeah man he totally hasn't earned that kind of money... He's only been the MVP of our team the past 3 seasons. He's been top 10 in most stats the past 3 seasons and you can point to his playoff record but it's better then most goalies in this league. It's equal to the Rinne's, Lundqvist's, Miller's & Backstrom's of the NHL, he is a top 10 goalie and he is still on a steal of a deal. I think the Leafs, Devils, Flames, Philly, NYI, Edmonton & Calgary all would have offered the same if not more then 5.3M.

I'm not sure why Detroit signing Howard to a fair deal means that they're gonna overpay Cleary & Filppula.

 

[Vladdy84]

Yeah man he totally hasn't earned that kind of money... He's only been the MVP of our team the past 3 seasons. He's been top 10 in most stats the past 3 seasons and you can point to his playoff record but it's better then most goalies in this league. It's equal to the Rinne's, Lundqvist's, Miller's & Backstrom's of the NHL, he is a top 10 goalie and he is still on a steal of a deal. I think the Leafs, Devils, Flames, Philly, NYI, Edmonton & Calgary all would have offered the same if not more then 5.3M.

I'm not sure why Detroit signing Howard to a fair deal means that they're gonna overpay Cleary & Filppula.

 

[DatsyukToZetterberg]

Laugh all you want but the only reason we even sniffed the playoffs the past 3 years was because of Howard. His rookie year he was fantastic, the next year was kind of meh, but he still played well, & last year he was a top 3 goalie & everyone was talking about him being a Vezina candidate until just before the All-star break when he got hurt.

Howard, Datsyuk & Lidstrom would be our 3 Co-MVPs of the past 3 seasons. This season it is most definitely between Datsyuk & Howard.

 

[Dynheart]

I said it on the trade thread. But 5m+ is perfect for Jimmy.

2010. Wings don't make the playoffs without his stellar play. Remember the injuries to a bunch of key players? Couldn't score! Defense, as if it wasn't an issue after Mclellan left, was injury riddled as well. Howard made sure 2010 was a cup possibility.

2011. Slump? Contract? Who knows. The man was posting sub .900 stats; then we was signed. Went on a tear the last 20 was it? Ended up with a 90.8. If Holland signed him earlier...would he have went on a tear earlier in the year? We'll never know.

2012. Vezina year! Not only that. But he was chasing, and outpacing, the win record! That is until Kesler slashed him. A series of injuries plagued an awesome year.

2013. To me, his most impressive season yet. Remember the Nashville series? Remember the crazy high quality chances they were getting? Remember we were like "brain farts coming from the Red Wings!" What we didn't know is that would be an every game thing. I'll give the defense SOME credit. They played well in like...4 games? But he's managing to keep close to what we expect from him. 92.0/2.3.

Not only does the defense look like ****. But they are mostly rookies, or AHL level defensemen. Kronwall and Ericsson are the only mainstays. White? He's juggled.....blah

Anyway. It's a miracle this team is even in a playoff spot. Here is some perspective. There are only 3 teams that are under 100 GF that are in playoff spots right now. Rangers. We know Ludqvist keeps them in it...and they have a good defense. Just a bad offense. Niemi. We know he's on fire this year. And the Red Wings. We know the can't score. And we know their defense sucks. Who does this fall on? Howard.

Give the man some credit. He's doing his job, and doing well.

EDIT: I forgot about Ottawa...We know they are a defensive juggernaut.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

Which other NHL team is so desperately looking for a goaltender that they might give Howard such a contract? I cannot think of any and therefore would disapprove of that signing.

Gruß,
BSHH

Toronto. Toronto would have backed up a Brinks truck to Jimmy's door.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

Perhaps the scariest thing about this contract is, if Howard can't live up to this deal, Hockeytown is going to eat him alive. And I don't think he's the kind of guy who can withstand that kind of pressure.

Its one thing to **** the bed when you're getting paid a pittance. Its another thing entirely when you're paid to be a star.

Look at this thread. Hell, look at the forum. He's already being eaten alive. How much worse could it get?

I swear, our standards for goaltending are so high that Wings fans aren't giving Jimmy a fair shake. Not only do we want a better goaltender, but we want him cheaper than this. I can't blame Kenny for settling on the goaltender that's available and a proven commodity. He's a legitimate top 15 goaltender and he's being paid like it... which is fine. It's not like he's going to have a team to lead to the promised land, anyway. 4 of those years will be spent getting shelled behind a young team that isn't ready for prime time.

 

[Vladdy84]

Toronto. Toronto would have backed up a Brinks truck to Perry or Getzlaf's door.

That makes more sense.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

That makes more sense.

Why not all three? It's Toronto we're talking about.

 

[Dynheart]

Howard will be fine. He plays for Detroit, one of the worst teams to play for as a goalie. Why? You're never the reason to win a game. And the main reason to lose it!

I guess you can say that with every fanbase, but Detroit is one of the worst. There's only one team that could top us: Montreal.

So the fact that he plays for Detroit is pressure enough. He loves it here, god knows why. He's not appreciated, but rather scoffed at.

 

[Detroit Sports*]

****ing **** goalie. Too much and too long.Watch us trade Mrazek now. **** you Holland!

 

[SoupNazi]

****ing **** goalie. Too much and too long.Watch us trade Mrazek now. **** you Holland!

I've always wondered - why do you have such a deep hatred of Howard?

 

[Detroit Sports*]

I've always wondered - why do you have such a deep hatred of Howard?

because.i.dont.think.he.is.good.

 

[SoupNazi]

because.i.dont.think.he.is.good.

His stats prove otherwise.

Unless you're looking for someone who is assured a Vezina every year, in which case you are going to be very, very, very disappointed.

 

[detredWINgs]

Look at this thread. Hell, look at the forum. He's already being eaten alive. How much worse could it get?

What are you talking about? Is this forum all of a sudden the front page of the Detroit Free Press? No. You obviously don't remember the days of the Detroit media calling out our goaltenders. That's what I'm talking about.

And for the record, I'm not particularly pissed off about this contract. Is it pretty? No. Is it ever going to be pretty? No. But is it ugly? No.

What I will say, however, is that this contract is just one more strike against Holland being "the best GM in the NHL." You don't get to keep signing players to deals that a run-of-the-mill GM could make and still retain the right to be called "the best GM in the NHL."

Also, this contract would be a lot more palatable if we had any players who are currently underpaid. We don't have any Zetterbergs making $2.65M. We don't have any Kronwalls making $3M. What we have, instead, are a ton of average players getting paid as though they had hit the free agent market.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

stopped reading there.all kenny apologists get ignored.he is trapped in the 90's

I'm not much of a Kenny apologist. (I think Nill should be GM right now.)

But that said, what do you do in goal right now? Let's assume that Howard won't sign for less than 6 years and 5.3 per year.

Do you let him walk? If so, who do you sign?

Do you trade him as a UFA? What do you think you'll get?

If you trade for another goaltender, what do you give up to get him?

I think Kenny's logic is this: Howard at 5.3*6 is cheaper asset-wise than trading for another goaltender, who would probably cost the same or more.

5.3 x 6 < 6x ? + high picks/prospects

 

[Vladdy84]

Jimmy is currently 21st in GAA and 18th in SV %. He basically has a .500 record too this year.

I'd be a lot cooler with this deal had Holland unloaded some players at the deadline for picks and prospects.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

What I will say, however, is that this contract is just one more strike against Holland being "the best GM in the NHL." You don't get to keep signing players to deals that a run-of-the-mill GM could make and still retain the right to be called "the best GM in the NHL."

I agree with you, but not for the reasons you gave.

I think this is a strike against Holland's record because he had this coming. Howard played years and years on awful GR teams under awful coaching and took smaller contracts for it because he didn't have any other leverage. Now he's got leverage and he's going to get paid. I think Smith, Nyquist, and Tatar are going to do the same thing. The "take a discount to play in Hockeytown" goodwill doesn't apply to guys who haven't made much money in their careers, and I think we'll see homegrown guys be even harsher on Holland in coming years. Especially those guys who have been made to stay in GR longer than they needed to.

 

[Detroit Sports*]

His stats prove otherwise.

Unless you're looking for someone who is assured a Vezina every year, in which case you are going to be very, very, very disappointed.

This isn't saber-metrics.I watch him play. So if a 38 year old scores 40 goals you will give him a 6yr deal because his stats prove otherwise? He is not good.He is AVERAGE.3m max 3 years or **** off.I would play Mrazek right now.We are going to get smoked in the playoffs howard won't save us.And Howard has ZERO Vezina's so what is this every year talk?

 

[DatsyukToZetterberg]

Jimmy is currently 21st in GAA and 18th in SV %. He basically has a .500 record too this year.

I'd be a lot cooler with this deal had Holland unloaded some players at the deadline for picks and prospects.

GAA is a team stat and should be looked at it as how well the team defense is doing. Of the goalies ahead of him for sv% we have 8 that have started less then 17 games, Howard has started almost double & in some cases triple the amount of games. Take away those 8 guys and Howard is 10th, just .002% behind Reimer and .005% behind Niemi, Crawford & Dubynk.

If Howard didn't have a PP sv% well below his career avg he would also have a .922 sv%. He has the 9th best even strength sv% in the league which is where he should be. If he goes out and gets a 25 save shutout tonight he'll move up 2 or 3 spots, that's how close it is among goalies.

 

[Dynheart]

People knocking Holland. The NHL has changed. Players have changed. You can't hold money over players head anymore, especially the good ones. They will walk.

Back then it was different. It's not about how much you can rip the player off, more so than it's about paying the right players within your means.

Howard? He's an above average goalie who can go an elite streak for 10-12 games. We know it's in him. Work on that consistency. Tighten up your game. Next thing you know it can turn into 20+ games, or more. Then that 5+ for 6 years doesn't look so bad to some of you nay sayers.

Howard is a franchise goalie; home grown. This is a great signing. Fix the defense, and them the offense? Then we're a team again.

 

[detredWINgs]

People knocking Holland. The NHL has changed. Players have changed. You can't hold money over players head anymore, especially the good ones. They will walk.

Back then it was different. It's not about how much you can rip the player off, more so than it's about paying the right players within your means.

Howard? He's an above average goalie who can go an elite streak for 10-12 games. We know it's in him. Work on that consistency. Tighten up your game. Next thing you know it can turn into 20+ games, or more. Then that 5+ for 6 years doesn't look so bad to some of you nay sayers.

Howard is a franchise goalie; home grown. This is a great signing. Fix the defense, and them the offense? Then we're a team again.

I love this response that people keep throwing out. "Now go out and fix the defense and offense, Kenny!"

With what money? With what roster spots? With what free agents?

 

[ProPAIN]

For everyone who is against this signing, can you name me some realistic replacements who are better?