There may be a perfect union brewing between the Dallas Stars and free-agent goalie Martin Brodeur, according to Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News.
The Stars, who have had serious issues with their back-up goalie, Andres Lindback, this season, may be a too-right not to happen landing spot for the currently unemployed, 42-year-old future Hall-of-Famer, Brodeur.
Lindback, a one-time back-up for the Tampa Bay Lightning, has been as inconsistent as ever for Dallas this season, losing both his starts this month and currently carrying a 4.58 GAA and .850 SP around his neck like a dead weight - which, incidentally, may be exactly how the franchise now views him.
The team may call up minor leaguers, such as Jussi Rynnas or Jack Campbell, but neither has played particularly well this season and would not represent any kind of significant improvement over Lindback, Alan Muir of SI.com reported. Rynnas was expected to compete with Lindback for the back-up spot in training camp, but flamed out before ever putting up much of a fight.
The Stars currently have around $3 million in cap space, so a move for a free-agent has not been ruled out by GM Jim Nill.
Names like Tim Thomas and Tomas Voukon have been bandied about in recent days, but Brodeur may be the best fit of them all, according to Richardson.
"Another possibility could be former New Jersey Devils netminder (and future Hall of Famer) Martin Brodeur, who's been waiting since the summer for a club to give him a call. Brodeur said he'd like one more chance to play for a winner. He also claims he's not seeking a number one goaltender position, so he'll be no threat to current Stars starter Kari Lehtonen."
Thomas or Voukon would most likely expect to start were they to sign somewhere - or at least wouldn't remain happy for very long in a true back-up role after years in the league as "the guy." Lehtonen currently has a 2.90 GAA and .907 SP as the clear-cut number one in Dallas.
But Lehtonen, without the aid of a strong back-up, has been forced to expend himself already this season. The potential addition of Brodeur would alleviate that issue and provide some leadership for a young Stars team.
