With the latest offseason rankings released by the NHL Network, where did Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger end up?
In preparation for the new season starting up next month, the NHL Network released a list of the current top goaltenders in the league, and Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger earned the eigth spot in the rankings.
Despite Oettinger having a "down" year for the first time in his short career, the Stars still made it to the Western Conference Final for the second year in a row. Before the 2023-24 season, the highest goals-against average Oettinger recorded was 2.53 in the 2021-22 season. And prior to this past season, the lowest save percentage he recorded was .911%.
Last season, Oettinger set new career lows with a GAA of 2.72 and a save percentage of .905%. Oettinger's uncharacteristic year could possibly be attributed to having surgery before the season started, and also battling through a mid-season injury.
Interestingly, Oettinger wasn't the goalie with the lowest goals-against average on the list. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Sorokin and Juuse Saros all had a GAA higher than 2.72.
After the team's loss to Edmonton, Oettinger said his plans for the off-season would focus on getting as much rest as possible. He spent most of last summer rehabbing from his surgery and he knows that resting his body is the best way to prepare for another long season ahead.
Of course, Oettinger also spent some important time tying the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Kennedi. So after a few positive changes, the Stars goalie seems poised for a bounce-back year that gets underway with training camp in Frisco in just over a month.
After next season, a climb up those goaltender rankings seems all but inevitable for the young American star.
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