Contract Talks Between Dallas Stars & G Jake Oettinger Have Stalled

Per Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, the Dallas Stars and G Jake Oettinger appear quite far on contract extension negotiations. The restricted free-agent could be the single most important player on the Stars' roster, and the fact that he is without a contract at the time of this report is alarming.

If not for Oettinger, the Dallas Stars certainly would have been absolutely crushed by the Calgary Flames, and they likely wouldn't have made the playoffs. His heroics could not have been timed better. After his performance last season, both regular season and playoffs, he can reasonably command a hefty sum that Dallas does not appear ready to pay.

What is causing this standoff?

According to Yousef, a lack of comparable NHL contracts is square one. The only comparable goaltender to sign a deal at Oettinger's age (23) is Carter Hart ($3.979M), whose numbers have gone absolutely haywire in the last couple of seasons. While Carter Hart isn't exactly 'comparable' to Oettinger, his contract is a jumping off point. But exactly how high are the Stars expected to jump here?

Secondly, the Stars need to approach Oettinger's case with caution. Rushing to pay young stars big-time money is a high-risk, low-reward game. On one hand, you might buy the next 'great' player at a solid deal, but on the other you handcuff yourself to yet another player whose foot was removed from the gas pedal after they get paid. It's a tale as old as sports.

With these questions, what options are facing Stars' GM Jim Nill? The Stars only have $10 million in cap space, and star F Jason Robertson also needs a contract. Oettinger can realistically command about $4M per season, leaving the Stars only $6M to sign Robertson.

Either way, Jim Nill has quite the debacle ahead of him. The Stars' last remaining orders of business might prove to be the most difficult. Either way, their fate in 2022-23 and beyond depends on them sorting out their affairs with Robertson and Oettinger. Without either of them, their future looks much more bleak.

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