Dallas Stars Goalies: No Need For Definite Starter In Crease

The Dallas Stars are once again racing ahead of the competition in the NHL offseason. For the third straight year, GM Jim Nill has taken the active route in the offseason and has brought in a few big pieces. Some of them were signed as free agents, while others have converted through blockbuster trades.

While the Stars news is focused around the trade for Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp at the moment, many are forgetting the other moves Nill made. A big one in particular being him trading for veteran goaltender Antti Niemi.

The 31-year old Finn became a member of the Dallas Stars on June 27th in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Niemi was planning on becoming a free agent and had no real intent of re-signing with the San Jose Sharks. So, instead of just letting him go, the Sharks traded him and received some recompense.

As Jhonas Enroth parted ways with the Dallas Stars after just four months with the organization, he became the seventh backup goaltender the Stars have tried in the past three seasons to leave the team. The crease was clearly one of the Stars weakest points, especially this past season. While it took over a year for a backup goalie to start a game and get a win in a Stars uniform, starter Kari Lehtonen had his own share of problems.

On exit interview day, he was the first to admit these hardships. Lehtonen finished his fifth season as the Dallas Stars starter with a record of 34-17-10 through 65 games played. Along with this is a save percentage of .903 and a goals against average of 2.94. While he tied his career high in wins, he set a new career low in save percentage and tied his second highest GAA. In addition to his 65 starts, he was pulled in eight different games throughout the year.

His struggles mirrored the Stars season in the fact that neither could really get off the ground until late. Early season struggles were the prime reason the Stars missed out on the postseason, and the crease was the main point of vulnerability.

So, Nill looked for a way to fix it. He decided to bring in a starting-caliber goaltender for the first time instead of signing a backup-quality goalie, officially creating a two-pronged goalie system.

The one question that still remains to be answered is who the primary starter will be. While Niemi is a consistent starter with a Stanley Cup on record, Lehtonen is a longtime member of the Stars and knows the system better than anyone else.

The fact of the matter is, there may not be an immediate need to designate starting and backup roles.

Not many teams have the luxury of two tested NHL goaltenders on their roster that they can freely choose between on any given night. The Stars are in a great spot at the moment in regards to the crease.

They currently have two goalies in their prime, both with long careers trailing them. Two proven Finns that will only challenge each other to be better. With two goalies both being paid over $4.00 million a year, there will be a necessity for success from both goalies.

Next: Which Stars Goaltender Will Stand Out From The Other?

Antti Niemi is coming off of one of his lesser seasons as well, boasting a record of 31-23-7. The upside is that his save percentage was a decent .914 while his goals against average rested at 2.59. While these numbers are better than Lehtonen’s, there are many other factors to look at.

With all of these underlying factors mixed in, the best scenario may be to avoid naming a certain starter. Now, if one goalie begins to outperform while the other struggles, then there may be a time where a starter is necessary.

But at the moment, the Dallas Stars have two goaltenders with a history of being the obvious starter. So there will certainly be competition between Niemi and Lehtonen, but that will be settled once the season begins to unfold.

But no starter guarantees the spirit of competition. This competitiveness will only end up making both goalies better and give both a higher work ethic. This ethic will pay off in dividends as it helps transform the Stars crease into one of the most feared throughout the league, with both Niemi and Lehtonen leading the charge.

Next: Full Coverage Of Antti Niemi Conference Call

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