Make no mistake, I definitely think Pekka Rinne is a far superior goaltender compared to Jimmy Howard, but i didnt see the Predators as contenders with that awful group of forwards so me calling him elite even though he hasnt gotten past the second round is because of how much talent he is surrounded by compared to Howard.
I dont hold Rinne up to the same standards as Howard because Rinne was on a team that just wasnt good enough to go deep in the playoffs up until this year, but they got beat by a hot goalie. **** happens and that's why you have to make the most of your very tiny window. Preds are probably back to square one since Weber's contract probably eats up their entire salary for the year and their cup dreams should be put on hold indefinitely.
Wings had Lidstrom (albeit in a diminished capacity), Z and Datsyuk. Howard before this year still had a top five offense and a top ten defense to work with. He didn't steal the series against the Sharks, which is something an elite goalie should have done considering how great the team in front of him was and how crappy/injury riddled the Sharks were.
Howard has definitely been on the least talented teams assembled by the Wings organization in quite a while, but those teams were still good enough to win and an elite goalie would have definitely been able to carry them over the finish line.
I hope you guys understand i am arguing Howard is not elite, not whether he is good or bad. I dont see how you can possibly say Howard is elite. I do think he is good, but i don't think he is good enough to be the straw that stirs the drink on this team, which is the vibe i have been getting about Howard.