An In-Depth Look At The Dallas Stars Trade For Jhonas Enroth
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars made a pretty substantial move today, sending relatively new backup goaltender Anders Lindback and a conditional third-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for starting goalie Jhonas Enroth.
This was one of multiple moves the Sabres made today, including a blockbuster deal with the Winnipeg Jets that sent highly sought defenseman Tyler Myers to the Jets in exchange for F Evander Kane and D Zach Bogosian. Buffalo currently holds the worst record in the NHL and looks to have completely submitted to the offseason ahead and a complete reconstruction of their lineup.
The Dallas Stars will part ways with Anders Lindback, who was signed by the team on July 1, 2014, as well as a conditional third-round draft pick.
Lindback, 26, did not live up to the standard the Stars and their fans held for him at the beginning of the season. After losing his first five starts as a Star, he was sent down to the AHL in order to “clear his head.” This resulted in a two week absence in early December in which Lindback shone in the minors with the Texas Stars. With these results, the Stars called him back up and gave him his first chance at playing time a week later when he helped fend off the Edmonton Oilers. Lindback ended his time in Dallas with a 2-8-0 record along with a .875 save percentage and a 3.71 goals against average. He will now take over the reins in Buffalo and become the starting goaltender for the struggling Sabres as he plays out the rest of his one-year deal.
The conditional third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft has a clause attached to it, thus making it conditional. The clause states that if Jhonas Enroth wins four or more playoff games as a Dallas Star this season, the draft pick will be changed to a second-round choice in the 2016 draft. But first off the Stars need to qualify for the playoffs. Only then will they be able to determine if Enroth will start any games.
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The Dallas Stars take G Jhonas Enroth in return.
Enroth, 26, was drafted in the second round by the Sabres organization in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and has played with the team ever since. He got his first chance at the NHL level in the 2009-2010 NHL season, and played in various stints for Buffalo as each season passed. After Ryan Miller was traded last season by Buffalo to St. Louis near the trade deadline, Enroth was forced into the starting goalie position. This season, he has taken on the majority of the work but taken turns with Michal Neuvirth.
Jhonas Enroth is in the middle of the final season on his two-year, $2.50 million deal. Through this year, Enroth is 13-21-2 with a save percentage of .903 and a goals against average of 3.27. These numbers may seem depressing, but his goaltending talents have largely been exploited by the Sabres defensive efforts this year. As a result, the Sabres are 30th in the league in goals against with 191 being scored against in 55 games.
Jhonas Enroth will have a chance not only to be a legitimate backup, but also a full-time starter for the Stars. The Stars current starter Kari Lehtonen has experienced a serious downturn this year in relation to previous years. Oddly enough, his save percentage is .003 higher than Enroth’s right now. Lehtonen will face a new challenge for his spot as starter, hopefully causing him to work harder and solidify his numbers a bit more as the season draws to an end with the playoffs still not a reality.
“Jhonas is an extremely instinctive, experienced goaltender and Head Coach Lindy Ruff has a familiarity with his game. Going down the stretch, where we have five more back-to-back situations, it was important for us to have a game-tested goaltender to help balance the workload.”
Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill has once again proven to be one of the most lethal general managers in the entire NHL. He was able to trade a struggling backup goaltender and a third-round pick for a valiant and dignified goaltender who has stood tall this season and bore the sins of a disgruntled and misplaced Sabres team. Enroth will come in and hopefully have a chance to reinforce the Stars backup position as well as push Lehtonen to gain back his former elite status. The playoff run is still in full swing and, by the looks of it, this move is only going to pay off in dividends.
Enroth will arrive in Dallas sometime on Thursday and is expected to be at morning skate on Friday morning before the Stars take on the Florida Panthers at home. Due to lack of time to get acquainted, Enroth will probably be the scratch in net Friday night. That being said, he could see action in a Stars uniform as early as Saturday evening when the Stars travel to Colorado to take on the Avalanche in a pivotal division showdown.
Enroth will wear the number 1 for the Dallas Stars. So, buy your jerseys quick.