According to a report on TSN, the Detroit Red Wings are close to signing free-agent goaltender Evgeni Nabokov Nabokov, who signed with the Kontinental Hockey League this summer after spending 10 seasons with the San Jose Sharks , parted ways with SKA St. Petersburg on Dec. 13, and hasn't played professionally anywhere since that date.Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard has missed the past two games with a knee injury but is expected to start Thursday against the St. Louis Blues . He went 37-15-10 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .922 save percentage as a rookie last season but has not been as sharp in his sophomore season.Howard is 22-7-3, but his 2.83 GAA and .906 save percentage rank him in the bottom half of the League.Backup Chris Osgood is out 6-to-8 weeks after having sports hernia surgery Jan. 11. The Red Wings recalled Joey MacDonald from the AHL, but he went 1-1-1 and allowed 8 goals in his past two starts.The 35-year-old Nabokov was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2008 and took the Sharks to the Western Conference Finals last season. He has 293 career wins to go along with a 2.39 GAA and .912 save percentage.Nabokov would need to pass through waivers in order for the Red Wings to put him on the roster.