The buzz around Igor Shesterkin’s contract in New York is intense, but the Dallas Stars have their own goalie puzzle with Jake Oettinger. The 25-year-old from Lakville, MN, is about to hit restricted free agency and currently earns $4 million this season. After a strong 2023-24 season with a 35-14-4 record and solid stats, he’s due for a big pay raise.
Oettinger’s career stats are impressive: 114 wins, 48 losses, and 23 ties. He’s also played in 47 Stanley Cup Playoff games with a .915 save percentage. Keeping him in Dallas is crucial for GM Jim Nill. On “Daily Faceoff LIVE,” Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli chatted about what Oettinger’s next contract might look like.
Contract Talks: What’s Next?
Yaremchuk mentioned another goalie situation aside from Shesterkin’s—Jake Oettinger’s future deal. He wondered if Oettinger could be seen as the middle ground between Swayman’s floor and Shesterkin’s high ceiling. Seravalli agreed that it’s an interesting way to look at it since both Oettinger and Swayman are the same age at 25 years old.
Swayman has shown promise but hasn’t been the main guy like Oettinger has been . With multiple playoff runs under his belt, Oettinger’s numbers remain strong despite being ‘the guy’ for Dallas over a full season of games. However, talks between the Stars and their key netminder haven’t really started yet.
Fans might think it’s time to lock down this star player before things get tricky later on.
Yaremchuk pointed out that if Shesterkin lands a $12-million deal and Oettinger aims for something close to $10 million as a middle ground, there might still be some room for negotiation closer to $9-9.25 million instead.
For more insights on goalies or other topics like Macklin Celebrini’s debut or Sabres fans’ early jitters just three games into the season, check out the full episode here!
What do you think? Should they hurry up with Jake’s new deal?
