Jimmy Howard responds to rumors of trade demands.

There have been rumors suggesting Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard could demand a trade during the offseason, but according to Howard there is no truth to those rumors. On Friday during locker clean outs Howard informed reporters that he would not be demanding a trade and in fact was looking forward to competing for the number one spot with Mrazek during training camp. Despite his claims many feel that Mrazek is the goaltender of the future, and that future may very well be now, leaving Howard and the Red Wings in a very awkward position. Howard has four years left on a deal that carries an average annual cap hit of $5.3 million dollars, something that would make him very difficult to trade given his slumping performance. Mrazek on the other hand has made it extremely difficult for Detroit to send him back to the AHL with Grand Rapids, he was excellent in the playoffs record a .925 save percentage and 2.11 goals against average. It's going to be a tough call to make for Detroit come next season, and while Howard's comments are clearly ended to prevent any kind of goaltending controversy, the reality for the Red Wings in goal hasn't changed.