On Monday, the Detroit Red Wings placed goaltender Ty Conklin on waivers following the return of Jimmy Howard from a Feb. 2 injury that broke his finger. Conklin had been on the roster as Howard's backup all season, but Joey MacDonald put together a string of impressive outings to make his case to remain on the roster as the immediate backup. So Conklin was the odd man out.
According to MLive.com, Conklin has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. He went just 3-5-0 with an .878 save percentage, and just didn't look impressive in net. Detroit has a good defense, but they do rely heavily on Howard to get things done a good portion of the time. Conklin wasn't able to step up and carry the team.
He'll likely get significant playing time with the Griffins and be on standby if MacDonald should falter in his backup duties. MacDonald should play a bit more as the playoffs get closer to keep Howard fresh, so there are opportunities there for Conklin. Howard is back in action on Tuesday when the Red Wings take on the Chicago Blackhawks.
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