Dallas Stars: How Goaltending Scenario Will Play Out
By Josh Clark
Ben Bishop and Kari Lehtonen will share the Dallas Stars’ crease this season. But how will the starts balance out for the two veteran goalies? Let’s take a look.
The Dallas Stars underwent a lot of change in the 2017 offseason. They re-signed, parted ways with, drafted, and signed a mass of players, making them one of the busiest teams in the NHL.
And they had every right and reason to be. The Stars finished the 2016-17 season with an ugly 34-37-11 record and 79 points. That put them 15 points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Dallas was coming off the heels of a 50-23-9 season that saw them win the Western Conference regular season title and advance to the second round of the playoffs. It was a 30-point drop-off that was an unexpected fall for a team that had Stanley Cup aspirations at the beginning of the year. With that, the need for change was absolute.
And Jim Nill got right on it. His first big move involved bringing in Ken Hitchcock to be the newest head coach after parting ways with former head coach Lindy Ruff. In addition, he also traded for Marc Methot and signed Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov.
Dallas Stars
But one of the bigger moves in the Dallas Stars’ offseason came in early May. It has been somewhat buried due to all of the other action, but it was likely the biggest acquisition of the offseason for Dallas. This move was the trade for and signing of goaltender Ben Bishop.
One of the Stars’ biggest weaknesses in the 2016-17 season was the aging goaltending duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. Neither goaltender could consistently produce as the starter, and both struggled to keep the puck out of the net. That’s why Nill went out and got an elite starter like Bishop. It is also why the Stars bought out the contract of Antti Niemi in late June.
And now the Dallas Stars have a duo of Ben Bishop and Kari Lehtonen to start the 2017-18 season. It’s definitely a solid duo, but how is it going to work out?
The Stars have some decisions to make in their crease. Both goaltenders are regular starters, but the last tandem proved that two starters sharing time isn’t always the best plan. So they will likely need a starter.
And it’s pretty obvious that the new starter will be Bishop. He is 30 years old, came second in the Vezina race in 2016, and is a solid shutdown goalie when healthy. All in all, he can be a top-five goaltender in the league when given the chance.
Lehtonen, on the other hand, is pushing 34 and though he isn’t the strong starter that plays 65 games a season like he used to be, he’s still a solid choice at goaltender. But it’s probably time to give him a less stressful role. If Lehtonen can take on the backup position and be given less high-pressure situations to deal with, he could really thrive.
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So Bishop will likely be the starter and Lehtonen will serve as the backup. That much is certain at this point. But how do the games split up between the two?
Bishop is capable and used to playing 60+ games a season and produce on a consistent basis. This gives Dallas the starter they have needed for a while. Lehtonen, on the other hand, can play 60+ games a season as well, but has not been able to turn in quality performances on a nightly basis in a few seasons.
Still, Lehtonen needs time in the crease, and 15-20 games isn’t going to cut it for a guy making $5.9 million a year. He needs more time if he’s going to stay active and consistent in his play.
Ideally, Bishop will probably need to play somewhere between 50-60 games this season, giving Lehtonen 22-32 in return. It not only keeps both goalies fresh and neither on the shelf for a long time, but it could also give Dallas a two-headed monster going into the playoffs. So if there is an injury or dragging inconsistency in the net when it matters most, the Stars have a second option.
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This is probably the best setup for the Dallas Stars crease in 2017-18. Bishop is ready to take on the starting role and it’s time to give Lehtonen a shot as a confident and reliable no. 2.
Only 81 days.