Jimmy Howard is off to a tremendous start for the Detroit Red Wings, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time for Ken Holland. Howie becomes a valuable trade chip for the franchise as he is set to become a free agent at seasons’ end.
Going into the season, it seemed Gustav Nyquist and Thomas Vanek would be the coveted pending unrestricted free agents teams would salivate over. It just so happens Jimmy Howard is the hottest (rental) trade chip of the bunch at this point of the season.