The Stars are okay with their goaltending. Just okay. General Manager Jim Nill has made it clear that the Stars will in no circumstance buy out either Antti Niemi or Kari Lehtonen - the 10 million dollar two headed monster that helped the Stars get a top seed but couldn't take them much further.
Rather, Stars are entertaining the notion of moving out out one of their goalies for an upgrade. So who are they targeting?
This one might not make a ton of sense to Stars fans, but there has been a rumour out there for quite a while that Ryan Miller is on their radar. The veteran netminder hasn't fared particularly well in Vancouver, despite helping the team make the playoffs in 2015.
Jonathan Bernier had been rumoured possibility in the past. That's now off the table, with the Anaheim Ducks acquiring him for a conditional pick.
Another name that has been speculated is the Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury. However, most indication seems to be that the Penguins aren't trying to push him out the door and have stated that he likely starts the season on the roster.
Ben Bishop is the name most people have been talking about this offseason, and the one that seems to make the most sense. The Lightning starter carried the mail for his team all season, putting up Vezina-type numbers in both the regular season and playoffs. But a combination of pressures have forced their hand: the stagnant salary cap and an upcoming expansion draft that would force the Lightning to expose one of their NHL goalies. After extending Andrei Vasilevskiy, it's clear they're going with youth.
The Stars interest on this front seems to be relatively lukewarm - perhaps concern over signing Bishop to a $6 million plus deal with Kari Lehtonen still in house at $5.9 until 2018. Antti Niemi likely has to go the other way in any deal.
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