Dallas Stars Need To Protect Kari Lehtonen For More Than Expansion Draft

The expansion draft is coming up soon, and the Dallas Stars can only protect one of their goaltenders. It’s a pretty obvious choice on who they should protect, but they need to think more long term than just the draft for the Big Finn.

The Las Vegas Golden Knights are less than seven months away from playing their first game as full-time members of the National Hockey League. That may shock you or catch you a little bit off guard, and that’s completely fine.

On June 21, 2017, the Golden Knights will be the sole team participating in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. All 30 current teams can choose one of two methods (7F/3D/1G OR 8FD/1G) when it comes to protecting their players, but all will have a select number unprotected that Vegas can choose from.

At first glance, it seems that any team that is not overpowered on defense will likely go with the first option. But when it comes to goaltenders, no one has a choice: it’s one and done.

For some teams, that is going to be quite the challenge. They might have two solid starting-caliber goalies or could have a lockdown starter and a reliable backup and have difficulty coming to terms with leaving one of them unprotected. Though only one player can be selected from each team, what if their player is the goalie?

Dallas Stars /

Dallas Stars

For the Dallas Stars, it seems as though it would be a relief if one of the goaltenders was picked. Not only would the Stars avoid giving away a talented forward or defender that they could use in various ways down the road, but they would also have a chance at starting anew in the crease for 2017-18 and finally putting the current system to rest.

But sadly, this will live to be only a dream and nothing more. That’s because the Stars are regarded around the league as having one of the worst goaltending situations of any team. Their two-starter tandem has all but collapsed on them, leaving them with little results and a lot of money sunk between the pipes.

Since trading for Antti Niemi during the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, the Stars have spent the past two seasons resting on Niemi and Kari Lehtonen as their goalies. Over $10 million is currently spent on the two, more than any other goaltending duo in the league besides LA.

What have they gotten from it? In 2015-16, it was just enough to get by as the Stars’ offense carried the team the majority of the way. But this season, it’s been a disaster along with the rest of the team. These deficiencies have led to the Stars’ 29-33-10 record and have carried them far away from the playoff picture.

Both Niemi and Lehtonen have suffered at individual times and not been up to par, and that has caused not only their statistics to decline, but also their stock.

Something has to be done in the offseason, but what? Do you buy out one and keep the other? Do you try a buyout and a trade and revise the crease entirely? Surely they won’t keep both goaltenders around for another whirl. So what’s going to happen?

Well, the Stars have to get through the expansion draft before anything else and pick a goalie to protect. That goalie needs to be Kari Lehtonen. But they need to go beyond simply protecting him from the draft. They need to have him in Victory Green for opening night in October 2017.

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Lehtonen has been a member of the Dallas Stars since they traded for him on February 9, 2010. That seems like a lifetime ago. After serving as backup for one season, Lehtonen was thrust into the role of full-time starter. He’s basically stayed in that role since.

Last night was Lehtonen’s 400th game with the Star on his chest, and he’s posted a record of 197-133-46 with a .912 save percentage and 2.64 GAA.

After five years of struggling to find a competent and reliable backup, management finally decided to go with Niemi and create a tandem of two veteran starters. And we all know how that has worked out.

In less than two years in Dallas, Niemi has a .900 save percentage and 2.92 GAA. This season has been the worst full season of his career, posting a .892 save percentage and 3.35 GAA. It’s a pretty clear sign that his days need to be numbered in Dallas and that a fresh start for both sides is probably needed.

But Lehtonen has worked extremely hard through his time in Dallas. A lot has been put on his shoulders at times and he’s found a way to manage. Sometimes he slips (as all goalies do), but the majority of the time he does not deserve the primary blame.

It’s clear that he’s worked hard this season as well. Standing behind a largely youth-filled defense, Lehtonen has stood his ground and tried to keep things afloat. Though his stats aren’t the greatest (.903, 2.89) this year, he’s still proven that he can be relied on. Just last night, he recorded a 30-save shutout against the San Jose Sharks.

“We didn’t really get him the shutout, he got it himself,” said Stars forward Curtis McKenzie following the game. “I think it’s really awesome for him to get that. He deserves it big time.”

Not only that, but he’s also a well-liked member of the locker room and is a proven leader at the age of 33. Bringing in a younger goaltender that is on the brink of being a regular NHL starter will give Lehtonen time to pass on some of his wisdom and help the new goalie get acquainted better, which is always helpful to have.

Trying to completely remold the crease could prove to be a serious problem for the Stars, but sticking it out with Lehtonen would be the easiest alternative. If they part ways with Niemi by one means or another and bring in a new goalie, they could either turn Lehtonen into the backup or try the “split-time” theory for a third year. It’s a good idea in theory, but was used on pieces that didn’t fit.

Next: Stars Must Find A New Goaltender In Near Future

Kari Lehtonen isn’t a bad goaltender by any means. Sure he’s not as sturdy and flashy as he was back in 2011, but he has proven that he can still get the job done and be very effective while doing it. Isn’t that exactly the kind of piece you want to hang on to when taking a leap of faith and trying out a new goaltending system?

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