The Dallas Stars signed goaltender Jake Oettinger to an 8 year, $66M contract extension on Thursday, locking him up through the 2032-33 NHL season.
Oettinger, who is set to enter his 5th NHL campaign, was set to become a restricted free agent at season’s end. While the club could have seen how the year played out, or even angled for a short term bridge deal, evidently GM Jim Nill saw enough to feel comfortable inking the young net minder to a long term, big money deal.
The 25 year old sports a career 116-48-23 record across 196 contests, and has helped Dallas reach the postseason in 3 consecutive years.
“Real obvious he’s a core piece here and has been for a while,” Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said. “A great deal: a great deal for him, well-earned, and a great deal for the team. I think it’s going to look really good for both parties going forward.”
“Every year he’s growing and adding and getting better. I like that he’s been at his best at the toughest time of year in the playoffs.”
Oettinger joins Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman, and Linus Ullmark as goaltenders to ink $8.25M AAV contracts recently, as the magic number for franchise goalies seems to be hovering between $8-8.5M per season based on the latest deals.
“Jake has established himself as one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL,” Nill said. “His unique blend of poise, size, athleticism, and mental toughness has helped our team reach new heights since he’s taken over the net. He is an integral part of our core that will allow us to contend for the Stanley Cup this season, but also for many years to come. Off the ice, Jake is a leader in our team’s community efforts and is always willing to give his time and resources. I’m pleased that Jake and his wife Kennedi will be part of our family for many years to come.”
Selected by Dallas 26th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the Lakeville, MN native has started the year off 3-0-0 with a .948 SV% and 1.63 GAA. As a result, Dallas currently sits atop the Central division with a 4-1 record, with a +6 goal differential on the young NHL season so far.
Up next for Dallas is a date with the reigning Western Conference champions, the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon in a 4pm ET matchup.
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.