Who Dallas Stars Should Keep In Expansion Draft: Goalies

In the year 2000, the NHL held their most recent NHL Expansion Draft. This draft was to help aid the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, the two newest teams in the NHL, to start off their franchise on a strong note. Otherwise, they would have no choice but to recruit non-NHL players and hope for a free agent signing or two, leaving them years away from even being a playoff contender.

It looks as though within the next two years there will be another one. As the NHL continues to grow and hockey becomes a more saturated topic on the market, new cities and locations are looking for opportunities to grow their own market. What better way to do that than to bring in a professional sports team?

While talks have dwindled for the past two years or so, footprints are finally being made. The cities of Las Vegas and Quebec City were the only two out of 16 invited cities to complete applications and return them to the NHL. These two cities have been promised that they will be the “primary focuses” going forward.

So if these two cities will be receiving franchises before the 2017-2018 season begins, what are the steps that will be taken in order to get them off and running?

First off, there is no set date on when, if ever, these cities will get their teams. It could be before the 2016-2017 season starts, it could wait until 2020. There is no set date on when it will happen, if at all.

But if it does, the expansion draft will more than likely run the same way that it did back in 2000 when Columbus and Minnesota were the two participating. There are two potential ways that the Stars can maneuver. The first is that they lock down nine forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender. The second is that they lock down seven forwards, three defensemen, and two goaltenders.

Obviously, when you look at it right away, it seems as though the latter option would not suit the Dallas Stars in any way. With a team that holds a high-powered offense and a semi-reliable crease, the Stars would be much better off holding onto a larger majority of their offensive threats and their promising defensemen instead of their goaltending. But, we can never know for sure which route the Stars would take, so we will look at both sides.

On Friday, we looked at the options at the forward position. Saturday, we studied the option the Stars had on defense. Today, we will look at the options in the goaltending department.

The First Option: One Goaltender

Unlike the potentially drastic changes that lay between the two options in regards to forwards and defensemen, there really isn’t much debate when it comes to the goaltenders. The Dallas Stars either keep one or keep both.

If the draft had taken place this past offseason, the Stars would probably have stuck with Antti Niemi. Though he had an off year from his regular performance, he still managed to do much better than Kari Lehtonen. This next season will definitely be a new change for the Dallas Stars, who for the past half decade have rested all their faith in one goaltender, while their backups have never been able to perform consistently.

But the expansion draft is not this offseason. So, as the Stars embark on a new journey, they will be able to test out both goaltenders and truly understand which one is the best fit. This will result in competition between the two sides and only make both goalies better. So, although Niemi is the choice at the moment, there is still a season ahead and anything can happen. So, only speculation can be used at the moment.

The Second Option: Two Goaltenders

There is no speculation on this one. If the Stars were to take two goaltenders, Niemi and Lehtonen would be the only candidates.

But it’s more about what the Stars would end up losing if they went this route and kept both goaltenders. The Stars would only be allowed to keep seven forwards and three defensemen if they wanted both goalies to stick around. This is a downgrade from the other option. The Stars are known for their offense, while their defense continues to grow.

By keeping nine forwards instead of seven and keeping five defensemen instead of three, the Stars would be keeping the majority of their current outlook and still be able to reach the level they are at now. Meanwhile, the goaltending is nothing more than an experiment. There are no proven results from either yet, and there will be none until the beginning of the season. Now if the Stars end up having the best crease in the NHL, there is a possibility then that they could stick with this option. But not only does this option drop two extra forwards, but it also loses a good chunk of the Stars up-and-coming defensive force. That is not a smart thing to do at this point.

On the bright side, if they follow the 2000 expansion draft procedures, only two players will be taken from each team, and the rest will sink back to their current team. So the Stars may not lose any of their defenders.

This is all a true mess. But sadly, this is how the NHL grows and the market saturates. It’s only a logical conclusion, but it comes at the expense of other NHL teams. This is how growth happens.

Who do you think the Stars should keep and give up in regards to their defenders? Leave your comments below.

Next: Who Should The Dallas Stars Keep On Defense In An Expansion Draft?

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