Dallas Stars’ Back-up Goalie Possibilities

Other than inconsistent defense the Dallas Stars have been in a tough situation when it comes to back-up goalies over the last handful of years. Way back when the Stars had the dynamic tandem of Eddie Belfour and Marty Turco, but as time passed those players found homes in other cities and Dallas was forced to rebuild.

They tried out back-ups whose names few can recall such as Tobias Stephan and Alex Auld. The Stars then went in a few other directions when they tried out Andrew Raycroft, Richard Bachman, Dan Ellis, Anders Lindback, and most recently Jhonas Enroth. None, however, have been the answer Dallas so desperately is searching for. With Enroth seemingly on his way out, although there hasn’t been confirmation from him or the Stars, Dallas will be forced to bring in yet another back up.

The good news is that the Stars have a few quality goaltenders in Texas that they’ve been trying to prepare for the NHL level. The bad news? It’s unknown whether or not they have what it takes to succeed against NHL elite just yet. If they choose to shop the free agency market come July 1^st for a new backup here are the top three names they should look in to, in my opinion.

#3 Andrew Hammond

The “Hamburglar” as he’s better known came out of nowhere and was a large reason why the Ottawa Senators made it to the playoffs. His incredible start to his NHL career will undoubtedly make him more expensive and it would be difficult to convince him to come to Dallas if he really wanted to stay in the city in which he “made it”, but if the Stars made the right offer he could be a great option. (Hammond will be a Restricted Free Agent this July, so the Senators would have the chance to match any offer made to him.)

#2 Antti Niemi

Although he is most known for his 2010 Stanley Cup win with the Blackhawks, Niemi has been a solid goaltender for the San Jose Sharks over the last few seasons. He has shown that he is capable of handling a lot of playing time, which is something the Stars will hopefully increase for their back-up in the new season, and he performs well under pressure. Both goalies being Finnish could also cause a healthy rivalry for playing time, which would undoubtedly help the Stars. The only real concern is whether or not he’d be willing to be a back-up after being the number-one guy for most of his NHL career.

#1 Karri Ramo

Ramo and Kari Lehtonen already share the same name, so why not have them fight for the crease? Really though, Ramo had an excellent year as the “back-up” in Calgary this past season in which he played up to par with the technical starter Jonas Hiller. Ramo does something that Dallas back-ups fail to do: earn points, which would make him a great candidate for the Stars. That is, if they can get him. After such a great season the Flames will either try to keep him, or another team also in need of a back-up will put in a great offer, so Ramo could cost Dallas a good amount of cap space.

Hammond, Niemi, and Ramo are just three of the available goaltenders; however, they could all make a very positive contribution to the Dallas Stars as a whole and every one of them, in my opinion, has the possibility of being the missing piece to Dallas’ success.

Who do you think Dallas will suit up as a back-up goaltender next season? Leave your thoughts in the comments and, as always, thanks for reading!

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