What to think of the Jake Oettinger contract extension with the Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have signed Jake Oettinger to a three-year contract worth four million a season, keeping the young goaltender in Dallas for the foreseeable future.
The Dallas Stars played a tough first round against the Calgary Flames losing in seven games to the top team in the Pacific. The Stars were just a goal away from winning in a game seven overtime, and there is really one person to thank for that. Oettinger put up a .954 save percentage in the seven-game series with a goals against average of 1.81 per game.
The Stars knew they were getting a potential franchise goalie when they drafted Oettinger 26th overall in 2017, and the past few years have only doubled down on that fact.
Now let’s talk about the specifics of what this deal means for the Stars and Oettinger.
Jake Oettinger could have demanded his eight-year deal. Even though he has played in just 77 games over the past two seasons, Oettinger has shown just how good of a goalie he is and he has proven he can be the guy in Dallas for a long time.
However, giving out this bridge deal gives both parties time to decide their best plan moving forward. For the Stars, they will hope that Oettinger can continue to play at this elite level, and then they will offer him his large contract considering when his current deal is up, so will the deals of guys like Jamie Benn, Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter.
https://twitter.com/DallasStars/status/1565408378779738112?s=20&t=5axnpRLueto0XmOCljmO2g
This contract allows the Stars to still be as competitive as possible now. With Oettinger not taking on a bigger deal, the team can now use some remaining cap space to bring in another few players or make a move during the season.
I personally think this was a great move by the Stars and Oettinger. Oettinger might not be getting his massive payday contract just yet, but he is bringing in a significant pay raise for a 23-year-old goalie.
One interesting thing to note here: Oettinger is now the highest-paid goalie amongst netminders under the age of 25, and he is the 25th highest-paid netminder in the entire NHL.
The Dallas Stars had an impressive season in 2021-22 making it back into the playoffs and playing a good first-round series against the Flames. This upcoming season will be interesting to watch to see what Oettinger and the Stars do next.
The Dallas Stars open their preseason on September 26 against the St. Louis Blues.