Jim Nill should have seen this coming.
Surely the general manager of the Dallas Stars watched as his team and its goaltending imploded in the second round of last year's playoffs.
In Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, the Stars were embarrassed on home ice as the tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi allowed six goals on just 18 shots. Lehtonen got the call for the Stars, allowing three on eight shots through one period, while Niemi didn't much fare better in the final two frames.
It was a sombre end to an exciting season in Dallas. The combination of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn united to provide the Stars with offensive flair - the team's 267 goals for were the most the Stars recorded since arriving in Texas in 1993, and Dallas finished with a best-in-the-West 109 points.
Then, Nill decided to bring back the same two netminders who'd sunk the previous season. Rumored deals for Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins or Ben Bishop from the Tampa Bay Lightning never happened. The Stars' reward for sticking with the status quo? This year, Lehtonen and Niemi have combined for a laughable .896 save percentage - only the Blues are worse at .892.
Several netminders traded creases this offseason, including Frederik Andersen, now with the Toronto Maple Leafs after three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks.
The Maple Leafs paid the price to bring in Andersen, but Toronto now has what appears to be its first legitimate starter since Ed Belfour last donned the blue and white a decade ago. On Tuesday, Andersen watched his Maple Leafs take down the Stars 3-1 in a rare strong game for Niemi, who allowed three goals on 34 shots in the loss.
Andersen wasn't the only option. Both Calgary's Chad Johnson and Ottawa's Mike Condon have new addresses this season, were acquired on the cheap, and are performing better than the duo in Dallas.
Leaky goaltending has left the Stars chasing on too many nights. Now 54 games into the season, Dallas sits nine points out of the playoff picture, poised to miss the postseason and fail to build on its impressive campaign a year ago.
| Goalie | Age | Term | Cap | Salary | Buyout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehtonen | 33 | 1 | $5.9M | $5M | $1.67M x 2 years |
| Niemi | 33 | 1 | $4.5M | $4.5M | $1.5M x 2 years |
The worst part is that both Lehtonen and Niemi are signed through next season. But neither has earned an invite back.
It'd be in the Stars' best interest to start anew. That means buying out each netminder - it'd cost about $3.2 million combined over each of the next two seasons - but a clean slate would grant Nill the opportunity to find a more reliable solution between the pipes.
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