Dallas Stars Could Hunt For Another New Goaltender

With the 2017 offseason just one month away from getting in full swing, the Dallas Stars are already busy building for next year. But are they done with improving their crease, or is there more to come?

It’s always nice to have a fallback option. Of course everyone has a plan that they want to stick to, but when that plan doesn’t pan out, a safety net can quickly become a lifesaver.

The same rule applies to the crease in hockey. An ideal setup for any hockey team is to have a lockdown number one goaltender in his prime as the starter and a young but skilled goalie to back him up and eventually assume the role of starter.

There can be different variations to this setup that also prove to be successful, but this is typically the most efficient way to build a crease.

But for the Dallas Stars, they have attempted to work around this strategy for the past few years.

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It’s been since the 2009-10 season when a 26-year-old Kari Lehtonen backed up 34-year-old Marty Turco that Dallas tried using the veteran-youth duo. Following that year, the Stars stumbled into seven years of confusion and imbalance in their goaltending department.

Lehtonen primarily maintained the starting role, which was the first part of the problem. While he has proven that he can be an elite goalie at times, he was never able to consistently fulfill the role of lockdown starter. Over the past seven years, he’s suffered some hiccups. Those hiccups are exactly why many have questioned his legitimacy as a starter, specifically in the recent past.

But the fallback has been an entirely different story. The Stars have had some serious trouble with keeping the same backup goalie around. They’ve gone through names like Andrew Raycroft, Richard Bachman, Cristopher Nilstorp, Dan Ellis, Tim Thomas, Anders Lindback, and Jhonas Enroth since 2011.

The 2015 offseason was where things changed. In his third offseason as general manager, Jim Nill decided to take the Stars in a completely different direction. He traded for 31-year-old Antti Niemi and officially established the “two-goalie tandem.”

Lehtonen and Niemi have manned the Stars’ crease since then, and the trial once again proved to be ineffective.

The 2016-17 season was the straw that finally broke the camel’s back. Shaky goaltending mixed with an inconsistent effort on offense and defense left the Stars in a rut, finishing the season with 79 points. Neither goalie proved to be a consistent starter or reliable backup, and that was all Nill needed to see.

With the early offseason giving the Stars extra time to plan an offseason strategy and begin acting, Nill wasted no time. A little over a week ago, Dallas sent a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for goaltender Ben Bishop. Three days later, they signed him to a six-year contract, locking him up until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Dallas Stars

This move helped the Stars save the first piece of their goalie puzzle. Bishop is a solidified starter with plenty of experience, and has proven that he can be a top-five goaltender across the league. His presence alone will help balance out Dallas between the pipes next season and make them a more prominent threat in the back end.

The move knocked Lehtonen and Niemi down a peg, leaving everyone to wonder which of the two goalies the Dallas Stars will be getting rid of this offseason either via trade or buyout. The overwhelming favorite to be cut is Niemi, leaving Lehtonen to serve as backup to Bishop.

But what if Dallas moves them both? What if Nill flips the crease entirely over one offseason, bringing in the perfect combination in time for next season?

It’s not a crazy idea to conceive. While a Bishop-Lehtonen duo would likely put up strong numbers, a veteran tandem could pose trouble for the future. Both goalies are 30 or older and Lehtonen is on the final year of his deal. That could leave the Stars in a bind as early as next offseason. Not to mention that Dallas would have almost $11 million in cap space sunk into the crease.

Another problem could be determining how the minutes are divided up. Lehtonen has been used to playing at least 45 games a season for the past few years, while Bishop has been somewhere around 60 a season. If Hitchcock makes Bishop the starter and gives him 55 games, that leaves Lehtonen with 27, which is a severe drop-off that could leave Lehtonen restless. If he tries the tandem strategy, the Stars might fall into the same problems that have developed over the past two years.

If Jim Nill does want to go for a younger goaltender and completely replace the crease, this offseason is the perfect time to do it. With the expansion draft upcoming, most teams will choose to protect their proven starter over their younger backup. That’s where the Stars could swoop in via trade and pick the goalie up.

Some names that have been tossed around for month as possible fits for the Dallas Stars include Antti Raanta, Philipp Grubauer, and Joonas Korpisalo.

It’s all part of a balancing act that includes weighing all of the possible options. Nill has done it many times before and this year would be no different. If he does go for a younger goaltender, he will wait and see what the expansion draft offers before trying to strike a deal.

It’s important to have a two-man system,” Nill said on SiriusXM NHL Network yesterday. “We’ve got lots of options, and we are going to weigh them all, and we’ll see where it goes.”

The Stars could front one of the most threatening duos in the NHL next year depending on the moves they make over the next month. If they keep Lehtonen, it’s not the end of the world. He could still serve as a reliable backup and give Hitchcock more to work with. If they go for a younger player, it only makes the future brighter.

Next: Stars Must Fill Right Wing Void This Summer

Bishop was the main necessity going into the offseason, so Nill has already filled a large chunk in the crease. That’s great.

But it’s always nice to have a plan B.

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