from Craig Custance of The Athletic,

“It’s always a question of who needs goalies,” said one NHL source in projecting the summer goalie market. “There are teams that are probably not pleased with their goaltending situation, like the Islanders. There’s a handful of others I would say are in need.”

Buffalo (No. 28 overall) had an even-strength save percentage of .916 and Carolina (No. 30) was at .908. Both are young teams looking to make strides next season and would benefit from an upgrade in goal. The Flyers certainly could have used Howard in the playoffs and need a steady veteran until Carter Hart is the starter. Howard has a .918 save percentage in the playoffs over 48 games played.

For those teams, the better plan may be to convince Washington to move Braden Holtby or Philipp Grubauer to clear money for potential free agent John Carlson. But at some point, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Howard again become a target.

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