Dallas Stars: Taking A Look At Their Goaltending Depth

The Dallas Stars have struggled with building depth at the goaltending position over the past few seasons. But as they enter the 2018-19 season, their crease looks much more promising.

It is very apparent that the Dallas Stars have made a serious investment in their crease over the past few years. The Stars have struggled with finding a consistent goalie over the last few seasons, but finally seem to be figuring things out.

Ben Bishop seemed like an answered prayer at the beginning of the 2017 offseason. And with his arrival, Kari Lehtonen slowly fizzled out of the system as a backup. Anton Khudobin is now the patch that will hopefully cover the hole, but age is not necessarily his friend (he’s 32), nor is it Bishop’s (he’s approaching 32).

General manager Jim Nill knows this and came prepared as a result. Enter Colton Point and Jake Oettinger.

Ben Bishop is the Dallas Stars starting goaltender going into 2018-19, but we cannot forget to acknowledge the importance of the backup role, especially after last year’s meltdown.

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Lehtonen was a solid backup and even looked as though he could be a starter at times during the 2017-18 season. But once Bishop was sidelined, he couldn’t keep up the pace.

The Dallas Stars didn’t make a major improvement to their defensive pairings this offseason, though one really wasn’t needed. But Bishop will once again play a role in the Stars’ defensive success (unless Erik Karlsson works out, which I hope it doesn’t). It is concerning to think that one injury can eliminate a Stanley Cup contender from making the postseason, but it’s a fact of the game nowadays. So, as most summers have been recently for Dallas, it is time to find a piece and fill their gap.

The Future Of The Stars’ Crease

I really like what I’ve seen from some of Colton Point’s highlights. He is a bit raw, but as some foods can be good raw, so can young players. I am not a goalie expert by any stretch, but from what I saw in his relatively few highlights, his self-control stuck out the most. He rarely made frantic decisions and always seemed calm.

For a young goalie who was a later draft pick but emerged to prominence rather quickly, it reflects really well on his character. He will be getting a lot of attention in the upcoming seasons if he can keep delivering.

Now, Point definitely has a hill to climb. He is not only young and a former fifth round selection, but he may also have to compete with former first round pick Jake Oettinger. With Oettinger, he plays more front-heavy than Point. He is a bit more of a clone of Kari Lehtonen. He plays higher in the crease, which comes with a risk.

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The further from the pipes a goalie is, the more likely he will be beat on a move. But if the puck handler is looking to shoot from further out, the more aggressive stance gives the goalie the advantage of angles. And it has a slight psychological effect. Big man in body armor bearing down on a shooter is intimidating. If you watch the more aggressive goalies, you’ll see more highlight reel saves and weird contortions while attempting to protect the net.

If these two goalies truly are the future of the Stars crease, they bring a nice balance that should benefit the team for many years.

Khudobin Must Be Everything That Kari Was… And Then Some

Lehtonen did a good job as a first option net minder for many seasons. But he had a few underwhelming seasons leading up to the 2017-2018 year where he saw an improvement after shifting to the backup role. Switching roles quickly like that can sometimes come with difficulty, and it likely played a part in Lehtonen’s eventual slip.

The Stars didn’t sign another starter, though, so that shouldn’t be an issue. Khudobin is a fairly reliable backup. He has had some solid defensive casts along the way, so shifting to a new role behind the Dallas defense should be intriguing to watch. But even in the few seasons where he had mediocre or poor defenses in front of him, he still gave off strong numbers. He will be a great backup goaltender to sit behind a promising but maturing defense.

As of right now, the Dallas Stars have a good situation going in the crease. They have two strong veterans backing up a developing defense with a high ceiling as well as two young prospects filled with potential and promise.

Khudobin’s presence is a good step forward for the Dallas Stars. The 2018-2019 season should be a strong statement to the league that the Dallas backend can be a legitimate threat.