Stars sign Oettinger to 8-year deal with $8.25M AAV
The Dallas Stars signed No. 1 goaltender Jake Oettinger to an eight-year extension with a cap hit of $8.25 million, the team announced Thursday.
The extension came together rather quickly, as Oettinger and the Stars hadn't been in talks at this time last week, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli. His pact includes a full no-movement clause for Years 2-to-6 and a 10-team no-trade list for the final two seasons, per PuckPedia.
Oettinger's new contract is identical to the pact Jeremy Swayman inked as a restricted free agent with Boston prior to the Bruins' first game of the regular season.
His cap hit also matches Linus Ullmark's, who recently put pen to paper on a four-year, $33-million extension with the Ottawa Senators that begins with the 2025-26 campaign.
As it stands, Oettinger, Swayman, Ullmark, and Ilya Sorokin are tied for the fifth-highest cap hit among all netminders in the league for the 2025-26 campaign. Only Connor Hellebuyck ($8.5-million AAV), Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5-million AAV), Sergei Bobrovsky ($10-million AAV), and the currently injured Carey Price ($10.5-million AAV) are currently under contract for more money.
However, New York Rangers star Igor Shesterkin is eligible to sign an extension, and it appears he'll break the bank when he does. He reportedly turned down the Rangers' record offer of an eight-year, $88-million contract.
Oettinger is playing out the final season of a three-year contract with a $4-million cap hit. The 25-year-old could've become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights upon the deal's expiry.
"Jake has established himself as one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL," Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. "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."
Oettinger has been one of the league's top netminders dating back to his emergence as Dallas' slam-dunk starter in 2021-22. Since that season, he ranks ninth among all goalies in saves (4,278), seventh in games played (167), and is tied with Vasilevskiy for the fourth-most wins (105).
Though he's never been a Vezina Trophy finalist, Oettinger finished fifth in voting in 2022-23 after posting a sparkling .919 save percentage in a career-high 62 appearances.
Drafted by the Stars with the 26th overall pick in 2017, Oettinger owns a career 116-48-23 record, .914 clip, 2.49 goals against average, and 11 shutouts in 196 regular-season appearances.
Oettinger has also performed well in the playoffs, serving as the backbone for Dallas' back-to-back runs to the Western Conference Final. He's compiled a .916 save percentage, 2.46 goals against average, and 23 wins in 47 career postseason outings.
The Minnesota native is off to a strong start in 2024-25, picking up a win in all three of his appearances while registering a .948 save percentage and 1.63 goals against average.