Is Jimmy Howard to the Kings a deal that could work?

The Los Angeles Kings are without their noteworthy goaltender, Jonathan Quick for the next few months due to a groin injury. The Red Wings have a back up goaltender that is paid an awful lot of money and isn’t going to get much ice time in Jimmy Howard. One would think that the two could make a deal. So what is holding back such a deal?

 Howard is starting tonight against the New York Rangers, it is his season debut and it is another chance for him to show that he can be a number one netminder in this league. Howard was extended in 2013, a year after one of his best years statistically. Travis Yost of TSN talked about reactionary spending in Columbus but the Wings are just as guilty as the Jackets when they tried to tie up Howard long term.

His 2010-11 season should have been a warning sign of times to come, it was seen as an aberration instead. They now need to get rid of him to open up room not only for a young goalie but for the cap space as well. 

The Kings need a goaltender to help them get to the promised land once again. Howard is not elite by any stretch, yet he could definitely keep a strong Kings team above water. Quick is a good goalie, the structure surrounding him though is out of this world. Howard makes a similar amount of money to Quick, could they pick up Howard with the intention of letting him be exposed in the expansion draft?

It sounds crazy (because it is) but Dean Lombardi is known to love his players an awful lot and if he can pick up a player that is a sure fire bet to get picked in the expansion draft, wouldn’t he jump at the chance? The problem is the money coming back the other way. A collection of value players making over a million could be done with ease if that is the route they want to take. The Wings should avoid players like Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis like the plague, their term should scare everyone off.

In reality, the Kings are going to probably stand pat and not trade for a high priced goaltender. It isn’t wrong for the Wings to be kicking tires across the league and seeing if the Kings are willing to bite. The deal is just another move in a long line of moves that shouldn’t have been done in the first place. Might as well give it a try, the greatest risk in life is not taking one, right?