The Wings can now check off one of their biggest off-season needs. 
According to Ansar Khan of Mlive.com in a story that was broken by Bob McKenzie of TSN.ca the Wings have re-signed starting goaltender Jimmy Howard to a 2 year $4.5 million dollar contract extension.
“We’re pleased to get him signed,” general manager Ken Holland said. “His prime years are ahead of him. He had a great rookie year. He’s got 30 wins this year.”
“I like that he’s a workhorse. He’s a guy we can put in net night after night,” Holland said. “I like that he’s 27, coming into his prime. We drafted him, we developed him, we watched him grow as a goaltender.”
According to Khan, Ken Holland said that the extension being announced on the same day that the NHL trade deadline is set to happen is a coincidence. Holland did point out that he was ready to negotiate with Howard until after the playoffs but is glad they got something done so it isn’t a distraction for Howard the rest of the season.
Howard who has struggled at times this season is is 30-12-3, with a 2.79 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. He currently leads the NHL in wins and is in the final year of a contract earning $800,000 with a cap hit of $717,000.
“Both sides feel good about it,” Holland said. “We’re hoping Jimmy will continue to grow and we’ll do a deal bigger than this one (next time).”
Source: Mlive.com, TSN.ca
