The 2015 Dallas Stars Offseason Outlook: Part 2 of 3

Here is a three part series over the next week to detail the Dallas Stars Outlook heading into the offseason.  I have identified three priorities Jim Nill and Co. need to solidify prior to next season.

1. Acquire Top D Man
2. Acquire a Goalie that can push Kari Lehtonen for the starting job.
3. Acquire a defensive first winger in the top 6 and replace the player Rich Peverley.

You can read the first part of the series where I identified how the Stars can acquire a Top D Man here.

Here I will tackle Priority Two: Acquire a Goalie that can push Kari Lehtonen for the starting job.

The Stars 2014-15 season was defined by tremendous scoring, defensive lapses and sub standard goaltending.

One can argue they are all connected, a team that focused on scoring by definition puts their defense at a disadvantage and a goalie will always struggle if he doesn’t have solid defense in front of him.

This is true but a upper echelon goalie must be able to bail out his team and make that save over the course of a game to keep his team in it.  The goalie needs to be your number one star at times and the best player on the ice.

This was not the case for Kari Lehtonon during the 2014-15 season which is why adding a net minder who can push him not just for a spot start on the second night of a back to back but for his starting job.

The type of goalie needed is a relative young guy in his mid 20s who has played a few seasons in the NHL with successful stretches in net.  They also look for big guys who stand over 6-2 as well.

Here are the top 3 targets available on the free agent market who fit the profile.

1. Karri Ramo from the Calgary Flames.  He is 28 and stands 6-2, weighing 215 and performed very well in the NHL. He was 15-8-3 with 2 shutouts last season with a 2.54 GAA and .913 save %.  He served as the backup in Calgary but was paid $2.75 million for his services and undoubtedly will want a shot at a starting job.
2. Jake Allen from the St. Louis Blues.  He is a supremely talented youngster at age 24 standing 6-2. He enters the offseason as a restricted free agent and a team can sign him to an offer sheet and make the Blues not be able to afford his services especially with a higher paid goalie already on the team in Brian Elliott. Allen had a 2.28 GAA and a .913 save %, both better than Lehtonen.
3. Martin Jones from the LA Kings. Another restricted free agent who will require an offer sheet and put the Kings in a difficult decision to match. However the player Martin is the ideal candidate, stands 6-4, age 25 and has 34 NHL games under his belt. He was most impressive in 2013-14 with a 1.81 GAA but has 7 career shutouts which is impressive.

The Stars still have Jack Campbell playing with the Texas Stars in the AHL who finished the season strong after an extremely rocky start. He will enter camp trying to make the NHL roster again and would the Stars preference to push Kari for time but the team can’t take the chance not adding more competition in net going into next season.

Kari Lehtonen had a 2.94 GAA and .903 save % in 2014-15 which was his worst as a Dallas Star and career worst since his rookie season in Atlanta in 2008-09.  Even worse was his 3.02 GAA at home and dreadful .898 save % at home. 

No team makes it into the playoffs without strong play in net and the Stars missed out on the playoffs primarily due to the performance on their netminders which cannot continue.

Regardless if the starter is Lehtonen next season or a newcomer, Nill has to give Lindy Ruff a quality option which he did have. The Stars went almost a full calendar year between wins from their backup goalie when they started the game.

They can’t have that kind of performance from their starter nor their backup, it has to change next season.