Dallas Stars: Six Candidates For Backup Goaltender

One of the most important and underrated positions in hockey is the backup goaltender. The Dallas Stars have learned this painful lesson in a variety of ways over the past few seasons. And that’s why they have to make the right choice when searching for their newest one this summer.

The Dallas Stars and backup goaltending haven’t mixed together well over the past few years. But then again, there’s been quite a few things that the Stars haven’t been able to master over the past few years (see poor drafting, defensive structure, coaching, etc.)

But finding a competent goaltending duo has proven to be quite the daunting task for the franchise. Ever since Marty Turco and Mike Smith backstopped the team to the Western Conference Finals in 2008, something has been off in the crease.

And since then, Dallas has cycled through an excessive amount of duos. While Kari Lehtonen served as the starter for the majority of the past decade, the backup always seemed to be a gamble. Names like Andrew Raycroft, Richard Bachman, Dan Ellis, Tim Thomas, Anders Lindback, Jhonas Enroth, and even Antti Niemi have come and gone over the past few years.

But there’s never been a stable backup that the Dallas Stars could rest on. Not one of their backups over the past decade lasted more than two seasons with the organization. Whether they were simply a short-term option or didn’t perform up to the expected standards is beside the point. The bottom line is that the Stars cannot seem to get it right when searching for the correct backup to fulfill the team’s needs.

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Kari Lehtonen was the most recent wrong answer.

After serving as the starter for seven seasons, the 34-year-old shifted to the backup role last summer after the Stars brought in Ben Bishop.

But it wasn’t Lehtonen’s play as the backup that was the concern. Instead, it was his longevity in the crease that turned a good year upside down. When Bishop was sidelined by an injury in early March, Lehtonen was asked to shift back into the role of full-time starter. In the end, he wasn’t able to carry a struggling team as they fell out of the playoff race via a drastic losing skid. He finished the season with a .912 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average.

And though Lehtonen may be taking a bullet for the team because of their lacking play, the fact of the matter is that he couldn’t carry the load when the Stars needed him most. Unfortunately, that’s one quality that a backup goaltender must possess. As a result, the pending UFA likely won’t be back in Dallas next year.

If that is the case, the search is once again on for the Dallas Stars as they hunt for a backup that can check all of the boxes. The Stars are in a solid position with the build of their team and could make a push as early as next year. But they will need to pick the right backup goaltender if they want that to happen. After all, it’s a critical position that is often overlooked. If you look at the successful teams in the NHL (including the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals), a common thread between them is that they all own two “starting-caliber” goaltenders.

The Stars must find one this summer to serve as their next backup. There is no time to make another wrong decision and lose another precious year with the current roster.

Luckily for GM Jim Nill, there are a handful of options on the market that could be an ideal solution for Dallas. Let’s take a look at a couple of them.

2. Petr Mrazek, Philadelphia Flyers

The Petr Mrazek situation hasn’t been discussed much, but it could definitely be an option for the Stars.

It was an interesting 2017-18 season for Mrazek. After being considered by many to be the future of the Detroit Red Wings’ crease with five years of experience under his belt as the backup, the Wings made a move at the deadline. They sent the 26-year-old goalie to the Philadelphia Flyers, who were having injury troubles in their own crease.

Mrazek became the starter for the remainder of the regular season. Though his numbers weren’t spectacular (6-6-3, .891 save percentage, 3.22 GAA), he did enough to help the Flyers in their late-season push to the playoffs. Philadelphia claimed the third seed in the Metropolitan Division and squared off with the Pittsburgh Penguins in round one. Mrazek only played in one game as the Flyers were ousted six games.

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Now that they are in offseason mode, one of the wild cards on the roster is Mrazek. The Flyers have arguably three NHL-ready goalies not including Mrazek, so does he have a future in Philly? After all, the trade was more of just an emergency acquisition for a team trying to get into the postseason. Detroit was selling and it was a short-term commitment for the Flyers.

But now Mrazek is a restricted free agent and the Flyers need to make a decision. That’s where the Dallas Stars can come in.

It’s clear that the Flyers likely aren’t trying to keep Mrazek around (because there is really no need). If that is the case, they have no need to qualify him as an RFA and would likely explore trade options in order to get something of value in return.

The thing about Mrazek is that he has proven that he can be a solid backup option in the right situation. In his time in Detroit, he averaged a .912 save percentage and 2.60 GAA. In 2015-16, he was called on to be the primary starter, skating in 54 games. He posted an impressive .921 SV% and 2.33 GAA as a result.

Just like Bernier, Mrazek has shown that he can step in and carry the load when the starter goes down. But, as we saw in Philadelphia, he needs the right situation. That includes a capable defense in front of him.

He owned a pricy cap hit of $4,000,000 in the 2017-18 season and will likely be in search of something similar next year. Is it worth the Stars to both trade an asset to Philadelphia AND sign him to a sizable contract?

That’s up in the air. But if the Flyers are making calls and Dallas can get him in a reasonable trade, he could be the perfect solution to their backup issues. He’s young, he’s proven, and he has a lot of potential left to be tapped into.

On top of that, he could spend a few years proving himself as capable of starting in the NHL. If that’s the case, he could move on to a new team just around the time the Stars’ young crop of goaltending prospects reach NHL readiness.

3. Carter Hutton, St. Louis Blues

This is where things get interesting, because it seems as though Carter Hutton is the ideal top option for the Dallas Stars. But there’s a good chance that he’s the no. 1 option on a lot of lists. That’s because of the incredible year he put together.

In the 2017-18 season, there is no doubt that Hutton was the best backup goaltender in the NHL. He also happened to put up the best numbers of any goalie that had played in more than 18 games. In 32 games this past season, Hutton went 17-7-3 with a .931 save percentage and 2.09 goals against average. That also included three shutouts.

He did all of this on a team that didn’t make the postseason. Those numbers are impressive by themselves. But for a team that didn’t make the playoffs, they’re almost unbelievable.

Editor In Leaf

Hutton proved to have immense value, and he did it at the perfect time. That’s because on July 1, he will be an unrestricted free agent. And though the Blues have made it public that they want to bring him back, it looks as though Hutton wants to test his value on the market (and rightly so).

At the age of 32, Hutton likely won’t be getting offered a starting gig. After all, he’s never played in more than 40 games in a season.

But in his five seasons at the NHL level split between the Predators and Blues, he’s proven to be a confident backup to two Central Division squads. His career averages look good (.915 save percentage and 2.42 GAA) and he proved in 2017-18 that his value is immense, even with being one of the older options on the market.

As a result, the interest will likely be high. With Hutton testing the market, there will probably be multiple teams calling and sending in offers. He will likely have a handful to select from, and he’s earned that opportunity.

If the Dallas Stars could get him locked down, it could play into an ideal scenario for the team. They would be getting a solid backup goaltender at the age of 32 and could likely lock him on a deal that would not break the bank or be a long-term commitment. Hutton’s cap hit was $1.125 million this past season. He will receive a bump up from that, but it shouldn’t be too severe of a spike.

Hutton’s abilities are proven and fit the Stars’ needs well. On top of that, he knows the Central Division well, having spent his entire NHL career in the middle of it. Pairing him up with Ben Bishop gives the team two strong options in the crease that they can rely on at any point.

If Hutton is the choice, he’s a solid one for the Dallas Stars. But will they be able to land him considering the mass of teams that will likely also be interested?

4. Anton Khudobin, Boston Bruins

What can be said about goaltender Anton Khudobin?

He’s spent his NHL career playing the role of backup goaltender and never playing with the same team for more than two seasons at a time. He played his first NHL game during the 2009-10 season with the Minnesota Wild and has made stops in Boston, Carolina, Anaheim, and Boston for a second time ever since.

Khudobin just wrapped up the second and final season of a two-year contract with the Bruins and is scheduled to hit free agency as one of the top backup choices available. Should the Dallas Stars look into the Russian goalie as an option?

Da Windy City

At the age of 32, Khudobin is past his prime. But that doesn’t mean he cannot still perform at a high rate as a backup. In fact, he played in 31 games this past season (29 as the starter) and posted a respectable 16-6-7 record along with a .913 SV% and 2.56 GAA.

Khudobin is an older option that, like Hutton, could fit well in the Stars’ arsenal.

He hasn’t been a long-term player for any team in his career and is more of a short-term option for a team that has a gap in the crease. Khudobin is an older backup option that Dallas could hold onto for two years while they sort out their goaltending prospects and make a decision after that time on whether they need him for longer or not.

And while he’s here, the Stars would have a reliable backup that can play particularly heavy minutes for a backup and even step in for an ailing starter when needed. With Bishop’s injury history, Dallas likely needs to be looking for a backup that can play at least 30 games in a year. Khudobin did that this past season and did it well.

He was one of the cheaper backup options in the league this past season, making only $1.2 million. When factoring in his current age and and future outlook, that number likely won’t be reaching much higher. But the value was still impressive.

Though he probably isn’t “Plan A” for the Dallas Stars, he’s a cheap and reliable option that has a proven history as a backup and won’t be looking for a long-term connection. Isn’t that what they want?

5. Michael Hutchinson, Winnipeg Jets

Another option that might suit the Stars well is Michael Hutchinson.

It was a pretty good year for the Winnipeg Jets in the crease. After acquiring Steve Mason in the 2017 offseason, the Jets entered the year with four NHL-ready goalies in their system. They ended up using all four in some shape or form throughout the season. But while Connor Hellebuyck built up his argument for the Vezina Trophy, the other three tried to split up the time as evenly as possible.

Hutchinson was one of those three. He ended up only playing three games for the Jets in all of 2017-18, posting a 2-1-0 record along with a .907 save percentage and 3.26 GAA.

Union and Blue

In the AHL, however, Hutchinson put on a dominant show with the Manitoba Moose, posting a .935 save percentage and 2.08 GAA. He was one of the top regular season goalies in the league and proved that he is still a solid goaltender.

The Dallas Stars might want to take a look at him.

At 28 years old, he’s still relatively young and played three strong seasons as the Winnipeg backup from 2014-2017. His cap hit sat at $1.15 million this past year, so it wouldn’t take any sort of serious stretching to sign him to a new deal. In addition to that, they could likely get him on a small term that would give Dallas flexibility down the road to make further decisions.

The only question mark that comes into play is whether Dallas trusts him as the backup they need. As mentioned before, the Stars require a backup that can step in as a starter if need be. Hutchinson hasn’t played in 30 NHL games in a given season since 2015-16 and his numbers have slowly declined since his rookie season.

If the Stars were to sign him, it might come at a bit of a risk. And with the state the team is currently in, is taking a risk the best move when there may be other options available? Only time will tell.

6. Andrew Hammond, Colorado Avalanche

Don’t you just love this trip down memory lane of backup goaltenders whose names were in the spotlight a few years ago? Then you’re going to love this next option for the Stars.

Do you remember anything from the 2014-15 NHL regular season? Besides the fact that the Stars owned one of the worst defenses in the NHL and couldn’t seem to keep their playoff hopes alive and consistent.

If you remember the playoff push, though, you likely remember the name Andrew Hammond. That’s the year that Hammond, an unknown goalie at the time, was called on towards the end of the year by the Ottawa Senators as their playoff hopes dwindled. Hammond responded by posting a 20-1-2 record down the stretch with a .941 save percentage and 1.79 GAA. In case you were wondering, those numbers are borderline impossible considering the situation.

SenShot

And though the Senators didn’t go on to win the Stanley Cup, Hammond became an overnight sensation in Ottawa and across the NHL.

But what happened to him after that miracle season? That’s the important question.

In 2015-16, he was once again used as the backup by Ottawa and posted a record of 7-11-4 along with a .914 SV% and 2.65 GAA. Still respectable numbers from a backup, especially from one on a team that didn’t do so hot.

2016-17 was where things unraveled quite a bit. The Senators acquired Mike Condon a little over one month into the year after Hammond started the year on a discouraging note. In his first two starts, he registered a .793 save percentage and gave up six goals in 80 minutes of play. And that was just about it for his time in Ottawa. Condon served as the primary backup for the rest of the season, with Hammond finishing the year 0-2-0 with a .837 SV% and 4.08 GAA.

In November 2017, Hammond was included as a secondary piece in the Matt Duchene – Kyle Turris trade between Ottawa and Colorado. Hammond played in only one game for the Avs during the 2017-18 season, posting an impressive .939 save percentage and 2.06 GAA even though he picked up the loss.

He also played in three playoff games (two starts) against the Predators while both Varlamov and Bernier dealt with injuries. Those went particularly well as Hammond went 1-1-0 along with a .933 SV% and 2.62 GAA. This included a 44/45 save showing in game five with Colorado on the brink of extinction that helped the Avalanche force a game six.

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Considering the 30-year-old is a UFA and boasted a cap hit of $1.35 million this past season, he’s both a cost-friendly and time-friendly option for a Dallas Stars team in a very specific situation.

In fact, he might be the easiest to negotiate with among the backups on the free agent market.

But the only question that comes into play is his consistency. Sure, Hammond proved that he could be a regular starter during the 2014-15 season and backed it up with excellent stats. But since that stretch, he’s played in 31 regular season games across three seasons. That’s not entirely reliable.

Is it worth it for Dallas to take the risk and put Hammond in a position where he’ll likely play 25+ games? What might the results be?

It’s definitely a risk. But when Hammond has played in the recent past, he’s done well. And his situation lines up rather well with the Stars’ situation. Should they make a run at him?

There you have it. Now, there are other options out there that could suit the Stars’ fancy. There’s a good chance that Nill could also be looking at trade options instead of just free agent options. On top of that, he may be looking to make a trade in exchange for the rights to one of these goalies. The goalie market is particularly stacked in regards to backups this summer, so the Dallas Stars have options. But they must make it a priority to make the right decision this time around.

Next: Determining The Proper Value For A New Stars Backup

As it is with every offseason, there are a lot of moving pieces and there’s no certainty to what the team will do. But that’s what makes it fun, right?