from Keith Gave of FoxSports Detroit,
If your coach has lost faith in your very expensive No. 1 goalie, it makes it that much more difficult to deal him to another team. And at least trying to find a new home for Howard in the offseason is looking increasingly inevitable if he can't find a way to wrest his job back from Mrazek and then start winning again.
As much as I admire Babcock's snap call to start Mrazek, this might have been the time to take a moment and have a discussion with his GM. All things considered, the Wings' chance with either goaltender is a bit of a coin flip. Why not give Howard a shot when the series returns home, where he's more comfortable? Why the rush to make a call that clearly devalues an asset?
Here's why: Babcock wants to win, and maybe he needs to win because some are beginning to question his resume a bit with a postseason slump entering its fifth straight spring. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, he could be gone in 10 days or six weeks, depending on how his team does. And if that's the case, he could care less about Howard's future in or out of Detroit.
It's Holland who will be left holding onto a damaged talent. There's not much of a marked for a $5 million backup goaltender these days. That's a significant downside to the coach's call in these playoffs.
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