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Dallas Stars Goalie Discussions Should Turn To Joonas Korpisalo

By Tom Dorsa |
Dec 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars goalie Antti Niemi (31) replaces goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) in net during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Hurricanes 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars goalie Antti Niemi (31) replaces goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) in net during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Hurricanes 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Stars have two aging, inconsistent Finnish netminders in the crease for now, but one way to fix that is looking at a few trade options.

With the Dallas Stars coming off of their worst season in recent memory, fingers are being pointed every which way. There are injuries, coaching styles, General Managers, and even defensive woes to blame the horrid 2016-17 campaign on.

One thing that should not be held responsible for such a mishap is the goaltending, as Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi were about average or better considering the job they were tasked with.

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But, that doesn’t mean it can’t be tweaked. The 2015-16 season fell apart on account of poor goaltending, highlighted by the loathed Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the St. Louis Blues, despite having the regular season’s best record amongst all West teams.

While elite goaltending isn’t exactly a necessity for winning the Stanley Cup, a team with as much systemic risk vs reward as the Dallas Stars need a clutch, athletic, young crease guard. His name is Joonas Korpisalo, the proven backup of Hart Trophy finalist Sergei Bobrovsky in Columbus.

Apr 9, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) spills water on his face during a break in the action against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Blue Jackets beat the Maple Leafs 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) spills water on his face during a break in the action against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Blue Jackets beat the Maple Leafs 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

The Dallas Stars have two choices as far as replacing the two-headed monster of Niemi and Lehtonen: taking a chance on an established, veteran goaltender with a vast injury history (Los Angeles Kings goalie Ben Bishop, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury), or grabbing an exuberant backup who deserves a shot to shine as a starter (Philipp Grubauer of the Washington Capitals, Antti Raanta of the New York Rangers).

The issue is that Grubauer and/or Raanta could be residing in Las Vegas, Nevada as a result of the expansion draft in mid-June. The Vegas Golden Knights will be looking to solidify their goaltending role with a steady face like theirs.

Also, Bishop and Fleury, despite being National Hockey League All-Stars and in Fleury’s case, a Stanley Cup champion, their prior ailments could hinder their abilities to backstop a team without a true number-one goaltending prospect.

About that, Landon Bow and Philippe Desrosiers of the American Hockey League’s Texas Stars are still long-term projects that could take a year or two to pan out. Each of them will be in place to perhaps receive a brief promotion to the big leagues next season, but don’t expect either of them to hold down the American Airlines Center crease any time soon.

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In conclusion, you need someone you can build a team around. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are in the prime of their careers, and to waste such would be a travesty. Joonas Korpisalo could be the saviour we all need and want.

Korpisalo, the Finnish goaltender, holds a career record of 23-16-5, which is impressive when considering that the bulk of his starts (30 out of 43, nearly 70%) came with last season’s awful Blue Jackets squad that finished last in the Metropolitan Division. In addition, Korpisalo was only 21 at the time, a relatively young age for a rookie goaltender.

A career 2.68 goals against average and a .915 save percentage behind mostly subpar defenses, Korpisalo turned 23 on April 28th, meaning he still hasn’t even hit his prime.

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Columbus will be willing to deal him, it appears, as Bobrovsky is slated to win his second Vezina Trophy, something no other active goaltender can boast about. Perhaps a Korpisalo for a high Draft pick and a prospect deal will be in order.

With the main targets being either mired by injuries or simply unattainable, the Dallas Stars could be in luck with Korpisalo. Let’s see how Jim Nill approaches this.

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