What if Ben Bishop never medically retired from hockey?

The Dallas Stars had one of the best elite goalies in the game until he medically retired from the game of hockey. In 2019, Ben Bishop almost got the Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals. Would Jake Oettinger even exist if he didn't medically retire from the game of hockey?
New York Rangers v Dallas Stars
New York Rangers v Dallas Stars | Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

I'm sure some of you are familiar with the Disney+ series Marvel: What If. For those who haven't watched the series before, it delves into theoretical questions, such as what would happen if Captain Carter received the super soldier serum, and other questions that Marvel fans have theorized about in their minds. I do recommend the series if you haven't watched it and have a Disney+ subscription. It's something I always like to think about while writing articles.

For those unaware of where Marvel is in its movie saga, it is exploring the multiverse. We are at the part where incursions are about to fire off when the Fantastic Four leave their timeline and time jump to the MCU timeline to save their son from Dr. Doom, who's trying to save the main timeline from unraveling in multiple directions. I know I have my tickets ready for the Fantastic Four in a couple of weeks. I'll be there on opening night so that way I don't get the movie spoiled.

Our next article takes us back to 2019, when the Stars had Ben Bishop as their franchise goaltender. He was one of the best goaltenders in the league when the Stars traded for him and signed him to a five-year deal. People thought he was the second coming of Marty Turco, given the numerous amazing saves that Bishop made. He could have single-handedly won the Stars the Stanley Cup if it wasn't for the controversy in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The question we need to answer is, would there be a Jake Oettinger in Dallas if Bishop had never medically retired from the game of hockey? The answer to that question is yes, due to how old Bishop would have been by the time Oettinger came into the league. Bishop would have been Oettinger's mentor instead of Anton Khudobin. While we don't know how well Oettinger would have performed in a different timeline with Bishop as his mentor, Oettinger would likely still have been a Dallas Star.

In conclusion, Jake Oettinger still could have been drafted by the Dallas Stars even if Bishop didn't medically retire like he did. It would be interesting to see if Bishop and Oettinger split time as goaltenders due to their height, but the Stars would have still drafted Oettinger. It's a good question to think about because Ben Bishop was one of the best goaltenders before he had to retire medically. An Oettinger-Bishop tandem would have fed many DFW families well, given how well they would have worked together.

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