Dallas Stars: Five Reasons They Miss The 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs

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DALLAS, TX – MARCH 17: Ben Bishop /

2. The Goaltending Tandem Falters

When the 2016-17 season ended, there were plenty of things to fix on the Dallas Stars’ offseason to-do list. Near the top of the list was the goaltending setup.

After a failed year with the tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, it was clear that Dallas had avoided making any massive changes for long enough. It was time to make a drastic, franchise-altering move. And that’s what Dallas did by trading for and signing elite goaltender Ben Bishop.

With the addition of Bishop and buyout of Antti Niemi, the Stars revamped their crease. Not only is Bishop younger, but it is obvious that his skills are far more polished and relevant. He was a Vezina finalist in 2016, led the Tampa Bay Lightning to two straight Eastern Conference Finals, along with a Stanley Cup appearance in 2015.

At the age of 30, he has yet to lift the Cup. But with a powerful offense and capable defense in front of him along with a reliable backup in Kari Lehtonen, he may have a good shot at lifting it in the near future.

But what if it doesn’t go as planned?

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There are a few potential pitfalls with the Stars’ new plan for the crease.

The biggest one most likely lies in whether Bishop’s style will be able to mesh with a young defense. In Tampa Bay (where Bishop has spent the majority of his career so far), he played behind an experienced and veteran defensive group, giving him plenty of confidence and added potential.

In Dallas, he won’t necessarily have that. Besides Marc Methot and Dan Hamhuis, the rest of the projected starters for the Stars this season are 27 years or younger. And while the Stars’ blue line should be considerably better with a new scheme and more experience, there may be some kinks, especially early on.

If Bishop isn’t ready to potentially take on an increased load, the goaltending tandem could see a struggle.

The other potential pitfall will be Kari Lehtonen as the full-time backup. It’s been eight years since the 33-year-old Finn played this role, and it could take some time to adjust. He has played in over 50 percent of Stars’ games since 2010, including a 69-game season in 2010-11 and 65-game seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15. To immediately drop down to 25-30 games might require some getting used to.

Lehtonen has already seen a slight decrease over the past two years with the presence of Niemi, but becoming a full-time backup at the age of 33 and trying to manage his time and patience could prove to be a challenge.

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