With Dominik Hasek Gone, Will Jimmy Howard Get His Chance?

The problem with being a hockey goalie prospect is that there are so few job openings for your position. Each team carries 13 forwards and seven defensemen, but usually only two goalies. It's kind of hard to crack the big time when only 60+ positions are open at any time.

For the Wings' Jimmy Howard, it must have been a huge relief to see Dominik Hasek retire and open up a job within the NHL ranks. No prospect, no matter how good there are, is going to get a lot of playing time when Chris Osgood and Hasek are on the roster.

So, is this now Howard's time to get himself a regular spot?

"I think Jimmy Howard is very close, if not there, to playing in the NHL," Holland said. "I'm guessing Ozzie can play 50 games, maybe more. The 20-30 games that Chris doesn't play in a parity league, those are key points. The hardest thing is, we're trying to continue to be a Cup contender. How do you move young people into your team at a key position?"

The Wings have always had the mentality of breaking in their kids slowly, giving the likes of Jiri Hudler and Nicklas Kronwall tidbits of ice time while the old guys got the bulk of the work.

In Howard's case, he certainly shouldn't count on the Wings' backup job being his, given that there are a few factors working against him.

1. The Wings want to win another cup, and Osgood, as awesome as he was this past season, is hardly a sure thing in the nets, given his career track record. The Wings know that having a strong goalie in tandem with Osgood ensures that they'll get quality goaltending from at least one source. Howard just doesn't have the track record to step up in case something bad happens to Ozzy.

2. Howard's play in the pro ranks hasn't been inspiring. While Jimmy was quite the talent at the University of Maine, his play in the AHL hasn't been so good. Struggling with weight issues, Howard put up some cruddy stats in the 'A' last season: 2.83GAA and a putrid 90.7SV%.

In contrast, the best AHL goalies, such as Jaroslav Halak and Karl Goehring, tend to put up save percentages of 92% and better. Howard isn't even the top 20!

Howard is at the age where he should be getting some NHL minutes, but the Wings "win now" mentality will likely mean another season in the AHL for Howard to better develop his game. At this point, he doesn't really seem ready for a backup role on a Championship team.