With the Stanley Cup Final over and the offseason in full swing, the rumours are also in full swing. Teams are making moves to put themselves in the best possible position for next season. One of these moves could potentially be giving players offer sheets to acquire them for other teams. The player that we are discussing today that could potentially receive an offer sheet is Dallas Stars goaltender, Jake Oettinger. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli had him leading the list of potential offer sheet candidates.
Dallas Stars Goalie to Get Potential Offer Sheet
Jake Oettinger
The 23-year-old goalie did not start this past season in the NHL and only due to multiple Stars goalies getting plagued by injuries did he get a shot in Dallas. However, it quickly became obvious that he would be their number one goalie for the remainder of the season. He finished the regular season with a goals-against-average of 2.52 and a save percentage of .914% in 48 games played. In his 46 starts, the young goaltender went 30-15-1.
Oettinger between the pipes tonight 🥅 #GoStars pic.twitter.com/xmzVrPYMw6
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 13, 2021
However, his success did not end there. The Stars battled the Calgary Flames in the Firs Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The series went to Game 7 and ended in an overtime win that sent Calgary to the next round. Many could argue that Oettinger was the only reason why that series went to seven games. Throughout the series, he saved 272 shots out of 287 faced. And the average shots-on-goal he faced per game was 40.7. In Game 7 alone, he faced 67 shots-on-goal. Which was a franchise record for the most saves in a Game 7. Oettinger finished the series with a save percentage of .954% and a goals-against-average of 1.81.
What This Means for the Stars
There is no doubt that Oettinger should be the future of the Dallas Stars go in between the pipes. He is a restricted free agent that, by all accounts, gets re-signed by the Stars. They have roughly 18 million dollars in cap space to work with this off-season. The only wrench in that plan is if another team presented a hefty offer sheet. If the cost is more than the Stars anticipated to spend on the young goalie, they will have to decide if he is worth losing money in other places for.
But Oettinger is the kind of guy that a team should build around. He has not only shown his ability in between the pipes but also in between the ears. His mental maturity is that of a veteran player and that alone is worth more than trying to find another goalie. There are many teams on the market for a solid goaltender, so the offer sheet could come from anywhere. However, in the 16 off-seasons of the salary cap area, only ten offer sheets have been signed. Though two of those occurred in the last three off-seasons. Only time will tell what the future holds for the young Star.
