Jhonas Enroth Could Be Stars Starter Come Next Season
The Dallas Stars playoff hopes have unraveled and are nothing more as they funnel into their last game of the season on Saturday. Fan Appreciation night will come with a bit of a sour taste as the Stars will be playing their final 60 minutes of hockey until September.
After the news was made final, it was Lindy Ruff’s decision to finally take the weight off of starting goaltender Kari Lehtonen’s shoulders, who stumbled with it towards the end. He shifted the starting duties to 26-year old Jhonas Enroth, who had not seen consistent action since being traded from the Buffalo Sabres in February.
The 5’11 Swede stepped into the Stars crease and has been making headlines left and right. Now, after beating three teams in a row that the Stars had yet to beat this season, word is starting to get around that it would be wise for the Dallas Stars to keep him secured in Dallas for as long as possible.
Let’s take a look at Jhonas Enroth’s stats throughout the 2014-2015 campaign. From October 9th to February 11th, Enroth endured a difficult time while starting for the worst team in the National Hockey League, the Buffalo Sabres. Through 37 appearances, Enroth pulled off a record of 13-21-2, which is nowhere near bad when talking about the Sabres. Enroth held a .903 save percentage (might I mention that this is Kari Lehtonen’s save percentage at the moment from a full season with Dallas) and a 3.27 goals against average. This all came while facing an average of 33.4 shots per night.
On February 11th, a move came out of nowhere as the Sabres traded Jhonas Enroth to Dallas in exchange for Anders Lindback and a pick. It was one and the lesser of two trades the Sabres made that day, with the other involving Evander Kane and Tyler Myers.
Enroth was molded into the Stars lineup just three days after the trade when he started his first game against the Colorado Avalanche. It was the first game where the Stars felt the pains of Tyler Seguin’s absence, and it was on a back to back no less. Enroth stopped 26 of 30 while the team in front of him tried to find their footing. A 4-1 loss and .867 save percentage was a bad way to start the year, but it was not mainly the fault of Enroth, but instead of the Stars and their third period demons.
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Jhonas Enroth continued to steady himself out and learn the tough lessons about the Stars front core and their softening tendencies as the season drug on. The only real time that Enroth was to take a good piece of the blame was against the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he forfeited two goals in the final twenty minutes and the Stars lost a one-goal advantage, though even then both goals were results of bad communication and changing by the Stars.
Now, in Enroth’s last three starts, with a revamped Stars squad leading the way, he has found a way to succeed greatly. Through the past three games against the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks, Enroth has surged forward with impressive showings in each attempt. Enroth is averaging a .958 save percentage and a 1.33 goals against average versus these three powerhouses, including a shutout against the Ducks Wednesday night. He now rests at a .901 save percentage with Dallas and a 2.53 goals against average. A more than likely start for Enroth Saturday night could really help his chances going into the offseason, so long as he plays up to his standard as of late.
As Enroth continues to thrive, it is important to look to the offseason. The Stars will obviously be candidates for a change in goaltending after one of their worst years in the crease. The only problem is, the market is not very saturated this offseason when compared to last season. Last offseason, the Stars organization had faith in Kari Lehtonen as their number one and were merely looking for a capable backup. With names like Ryan Miller, Thomas Greiss, and Chad Johnson floating around, there was an abundance to choose from.
This offseason may be different, and the Dallas Stars are looking at a few different options. In the upcoming offseason, the Stars could look at Antti Niemi or even Thomas Greiss. But the likelihood of the Stars bringing in Niemi as a starter and shaking up the crease entirely is very slim, considering that they would have to let go of Enroth or drop Lehtonen in some way. Lehtonen’s contract mixed with his performance basically pins him as unmovable this offseason, though Nill is known for working wonders.
So, the possibility presents itself… could Jhonas Enroth take on the starting job for the Dallas Stars next year? With the progression of the Stars squad showing great advancements over the past month, Enroth could be looking at a chance to carry the Stars to the playoffs next season. If he was able to manage a part-time starting job in Buffalo, who is to say he cannot here?
It will be interesting to see what Jim Nill has in store for the Stars’ last line of defense in the summer, but my guess is that Enroth, an upcoming unrestricted free agent, can be expecting a hefty new contract to stick around in Dallas for a few more years, possibly even with big implications. Can you imagine a team led by Enroth, with Lehtonen in relief? My word that is something special right there. Can you see Jhonas Enroth as the Stars starter to make a 2015-2016 push?
Next: Dallas Stars Guilty of Playing to Level of Opponents
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