Stars Sign Goaltender Lehtonen to Three-Year Extension

The Dallas Stars announced today that they have signed goaltender Kari Lehtonen to a three-year contract extension worth $10.65 million. The deal averages out to $3.55 million per season. He would have been a restricted free agent on July 1. The Stars acquired Lehtonen from the Atlanta Thrashers in February for prospect defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy. In 12 games last season with the Stars, Lehtonen posted a 6-4-0 record, with a 2.81 GAA, and a .911 save percentage. He missed most of last season recovering from back surgery. In 216 career NHL games with the Thrashers and Stars, he has a 100-87-17 record, 14 shutouts, a 2.87 GAA, and a .912 save percentage. This is kind of a risky signing for the Stars, as Lehtonen has a bit of an injury history. If he can stay healthy, it will be a great signing for the team, as Lehtonen has plenty of skill and has the potential to become a top goalie in the NHL.

Stars Waive Goaltender Alex Auld

The Dallas Stars have taken a step toward solving their logjam in goal by announcing today that they have waived goaltender Alex Auld. Teams have until noon ET on Thursday to claim the 29-year-old netminder. The Stars acquired goaltender Kari Lehtonen on February 9 with Marty Turco and Auld already backstopping the team. When the trade was made, there was a lot of speculation that the team would likely trade Turco by the March 3 trade deadline and keep Auld as the backup. Both Auld and Turco will be unrestricted free agents on July 1, while Lehtonen will be a restricted free agent. In 21 games this season with the Stars, Auld has a 9-6-3 record with a 3.00 GAA and a .894 save percentage. In 204 career NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, and Dallas Stars, he has an 83-81-26 record, six shutouts, a 2.78 GAA, and a .904 save percentage. This comes as a bit of a surprise to me, as it has been widely speculated that the Stars might try to move Turco by the trade deadline. However, the team is currently sitting one point out of the playoffs in the Western Conference and may wish to go with Turco's experience to make the playoffs rather than rely on the oft-injured Lehtonen. With Turco and Lehtonen in net, the Stars have lots of goaltending depth and give them a good combination heading into the post-season. Auld could still pass through waivers and the team could either send him to the minors or keep him on the team. However, it wouldn't surprise me if a team looking for goaltending depth claims Auld before noon on Thursday. The Calgary Flames are one team that comes to mind, as the could use a more suitable backup than Curtis McElhinney. Auld could help take a lot of the pressure off of starter Miikka Kiprusoff going into the playoffs, but it remains to be seen if the Flames have any interest in the netminder.

Stars Acquire Goaltender Lehtonen from Thrashers

The Dallas Stars announced tonight that they have acquired goaltender Kari Lehtonen from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for prospect defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy and Dallas' fourth round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft. Lehtonen was recently recalled from the Thrashers' AHL affiliate in Chicago after completing a conditioning stint. He has not played in any games this season after undergoing back surgery this past September. He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. In 46 games last season with the Thrashers, Lehtonen posted a 19-22-3 record, three shutouts, a 3.06 GAA, and a .911 save percentage. In 204 career NHL games over five seasons, all with the Thrashers, he has a 94-83-17 record, 14 shutouts, a 2.87 GAA, and a .912 save percentage. Vishnevskiy has appeared in only two games this season with the Stars, scoring no points. The Thrashers are expected to assign him to Chicago of the AHL. This trade really comes as no surprise since rumors had begun to swirl recently that the Stars were interested in Lehtonen. This could be a bit of a risky trade for the Stars, as Lehtonen has a history of missing extended periods of time due to injury. However, if he can stay healthy, he brings the Stars a talented starting goaltender who's best years are still ahead of him. Also, by acquiring the Finnish netminder, this is a strong indication the Stars will likely trade starting goaltender Marty Turco by the March 3 trade deadline. In Vishnevskiy, the Thrashers get another talented defenseman to build around. He has great offensive skill and could develop into a top defenseman for the Thrashers. The Thrashers appear to be in selling mode now after trading superstar Ilya Kovalchuk to the Devils last week and now Lehtonen to the Stars. It wouldn't surprise me if the Thrashers unload a few more players prior to the trade deadline.

Thrashers Re-Sign Goaltender Kari Lehtonen

The Atlanta Thrashers have announced that they have re-signed goaltender Kari Lehtonen to a one-year contract worth $3 million. In 46 games last season with the Thrashers, he posted a 19-22-3 record, three shutouts, a 3.06 GAA, and a .911 save percentage. In 204 career games, all with the Thrashers, he has a record of 94-83-17, 14 shutouts, a 2.87 GAA, and a .912 save percentage. Not a bad signing for the Thrashers, as they appear keen to stick with Lehtonen for another season despite the rumors that they have been looking to trade the Finnish netminder. He hasn’t been able to play up to his lofty expectations in Atlanta and has suffered several injuries over the past few years, but he is still a solid starter when healthy and still has yet to hit his potential.