Dallas Stars: Five 2018 Offseason Priorities For Team
By Josh Clark
4. Who Will Be The Backup Next Season?
Kari Lehtonen started his 2017-18 season with the Dallas Stars on an incredibly high note. By late February, he owned an 11-5-1 record with a .923 save percentage and 2.14 goals against average. He was the ideal backup goaltender for Dallas and solved a problem that had plagued the franchise for years.
But when Ben Bishop went down with a season-ending injury in March, all of that promise disappeared. Lehtonen wasn’t able to carry the load down the stretch and contributed to the Stars’ downfall. Not to say that it was completely his fault, but the 34-year-old played a part.
That cannot happen in 2018-19. With the 31-year-old Bishop holding onto the starting role for the next few seasons, the Stars are in need of a confident and reliable backup goalie. If Bishop were to hit another injury snag in the upcoming season, Dallas needs to have insurance on the bench so they can continue pushing forward.
Lehtonen’s contract expires on July 1 and the rumors circling around are that he is as good as gone. If the Stars do neglect to re-sign him, who will they go after?
This will be a tricky decision. Not only does Dallas need a goaltender that can play no. 1 goalie minutes at a moment’s notice, but they also need one that is affordable. Their cap space isn’t absolutely ideal and they have some free agency moves to make this summer as well.
In addition to that, they have a pair of young goaltenders in Colton Point and Jake Oettinger that could be ready for professional play sooner rather than later. Both are in college at the moment but could be playing for the organization within the next few years.
With that being said, there is no real need for the Stars to go out and secure a young backup on a long term deal. They simply need someone to fill the void when Bishop is missing and serve as a reliable safety net.
That could be harder to find than it may seem, so Nill definitely has his work cut out for him in the crease. But one thing is for sure: the Dallas Stars still need a backup goaltender.