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Dallas Stars Will Make A Deal With Washington Capitals This Offseason

By Josh Clark

Jan 21, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars center Devin Shore (17) and Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) fight for the puck during the third period at the American Airlines Center. The Capitals defeat the Stars 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars center Devin Shore (17) and Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) fight for the puck during the third period at the American Airlines Center. The Capitals defeat the Stars 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dallas Stars
Jan 21, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Washington Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer (31) and defenseman Karl Alzner (27) in action during the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Capitals defeat the Stars 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Philipp Grubauer

The first and perhaps most sought after Capital on the wish list of many Stars fans is goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

Going into the offseason, the Stars number one target has to be goaltending. The duo of Kari Lehotnen and Antti Niemi has been running for two years and has not gotten Dallas far. While they did help keep the team flying high in 2015-16, they sank in this most recent season and the Stars suffered because of it.

Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars /

Dallas Stars

It’s time to break the aging duo up and bring some fresh blood into the mix. The Dallas Stars have been trying to get their goaltending formula right for the last six or seven years, and Grubauer could be the guy to help them get there.

Grubauer is 25 years old, making him one of the younger goalies in the NHL by a good bit. He’s played five seasons at the NHL level, though only two have been full-time as backup. In five seasons and 66 games played with Washington, he boasts a .923 save percentage and 2.26 GAA. Those numbers are undoubtedly impressive.

The only problem is that Grubauer is wasting away some of the best years of his career as a backup. The Caps already have starting goaltender and Vezina candidate Braden Holtby locked down for the next three years. Considering he is only 27 himself, the Caps already have a franchise goaltender in him. That leaves Grubauer on the outside looking in.

Instead of spending his prime as a backup and wasting his impressive talent, it may be time for Grubauer to get a change of scenery. He’s set to be an RFA and currently has a measly cap hit of $750,000. So signing him would not be a casualty for the Stars, who will have plenty of cap space available, especially if they buy out either Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi.

With the expansion draft coming up, the Caps won’t get a chance to protect Grubauer, meaning that they may be inclined to trade him somewhere before the draft happens. Dallas would be the perfect destination.

Dallas fans have watched him closely all season, and it’s clear that he’s a fitting choice for the Stars’ crease and could become their franchise goalie for at least the next decade. It may just be me, but that sounds pretty reassuring.

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