Dallas Stars: Five Best Trade Deadline Acquisitions in Stars History
By Tom Dorsa
This one is a complete steal. While Kari Lehtonen was due for a contract extension, and such were to come out of Dallas’s checkbook, having the Big Finn is priceless.
On February 9, 2010, the Atlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets) traded goaltender Kari Lehtonen to the Dallas Stars for former first-round selection Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth-round selection in that year’s Entry Draft.
Vishnevskiy would not go on to play a game with Atlanta or Winnipeg, while Lehtonen would blossom into the former second-overall selection the Thrashers wished he was in Georgia.
Oh, Kari. Lehtonen is now the second longest-tenured player on the Stars behind captain Jamie Benn, having won a massive 212 games as a member of the Stars. Not only is he one of the most unheralded solid goaltenders of his NHL era, he’s a total pro who has handled everything thrown at him.
Lehtonen has posted a 212-142-48 win-loss record, a 2.62 goals against average, and an all-time franchise-low .912 save percentage in Dallas.