Projecting The Stars: Jake Oettinger

We’re almost at the beginning of the NHL’’s 2024-25 regular season, and THN.com’s Dallas Stars team website is concluding our player-by-player series of projections for the Stars’ roster this year. We’ve moved through Dallas’ group of forwards and defensemen, and today, we’re finishing up the series by examining Stars starting goalie Jake Oettinger.

The 25-year-old Oettinger is entering his fifth NHL season, and the American native is considered one of the very best at his position. He’s going to be central to Dallas’ competitive aspirations this year, and he’s also got a new contract to focus on at season’s end.

Career: 2.51 goals-against average, .913 save percentage in 193 games

2023-24 Statistics: 2.72 G.A.A., .905 SP in 54 games

Salary Cap Hit: $4 million, through 2024-25 season

Summary of 2023-24 Season: Oettinger’s individual numbers worsened somewhat last season, with his G.A.A. going from 2.37 to 2.72, and his SP falling from .919 in 2022-23 to .905 last year. Still, Oettinger posted a 35-14-4 record last season, bumping up his all-time record to 113-48-23.

Oettinger played in front of understudy Scott Wedgewood last season, giving Oettinger more of a rest in the regular season (as his total appearances dropped from 62 to 54). But Oettinger’s numbers improved in the Stanley Cup playoffs, as he generated a 2.24 G.A.A. and .913 SP in 19 appearances. He showed why the Stars have invested time and money in his services, and that’s not about to change this coming year.

Related: Projecting the Stars: Matt Duchene

Related: Projecting The Stars: Logan Stankoven

Related: Projecting the Stars: Casey DeSmith

Projections For 2024-25 Season: Per THN Lineups, Oettinger has a new backup in veteran Casey DeSmith. But it could be possible that Oettinger’s usage increases a little bit in 2024-25, as coach Peter DeBoer goes with Oettinger a few more games than he did last season.

Oettinger is going to need a new contract after this coming year, but he’s still going to be an RFA, so Dallas GM Jim Nill will hang on to every bit of leverage he has left with Oettinger. That said, Oettinger is one of the better bargains in the league right now, and he could choose to angle for a long-term extension that at least doubles his current payday. If he did, would the Stars try fighting him for such an extension? Of course not. They want to keep Oettinger happy, and you don’t do that by getting into a protracted battle when you know this is someone who is a cornerstone part of the organiztion.

Oettinger is still approaching the prime of his career, so it’s not at all out of the question his numbers will be back to where they were a couple years ago. He’s still playing behind an above-average Stars defense corps, so he doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting himself. Instead, if he trusts his instincts and his approach to the game, Oettinger can elevate himself to being considered a top-five netminder in hockey’s top league. He’s that much of a difference-maker, and the Stars know they’re fortunate to employ him.

Related: Projecting The Stars: Miro Heiskanen

Related: Projecting The Stars: Matt Dumba

Related: Projecting the Stars: Brendan Smith

Thank you for reading this story. And be our guest -- join the growing Dallas Stars community on THN.com and bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for all the latest Stars news, exclusive interviews, and much more.