There’s only one month to go until puck-drop on the Dallas Stars’ 2023-24 season.
Dallas is coming off a successful but strange season, one in which they reached the Western Conference finals for the second time in four seasons, but were emphatically dismissed in six games by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights.
As part of the lead-in to the upcoming season, the NHL Network is ranking the top 50 players in the league, a list compiled by researchers, producers and on-air personalities.
Nos. 50-41 were released on Sunday, and a Dallas Star appeared on the list.
Below, we’ll keep track of all the Stars that make the cut as the list is revealed.
2023 NHL Top 50
47. Jake Oettinger, G
Last ranking: NR
Oettinger was left off last season’s list despite being ranked by the network as the NHL’s ninth-best netminder. He posted a 2.37 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in 2022-23, good for five shutouts and a 37-11-11 record in 62 games. Now in his age-24 season, Oettinger’s youth, skill and, now, two solid seasons of playoff experience make him one of the most projectable goalies in the league.
“He’s 24. Most goalies don’t get to the NHL until they’re 24,” NHL Network analyst Mike Johnson said. “They take a little bit longer to ripen and to marinate. Seems like he’s been around for five years already. All teams are always looking for a guy that they can confidently say we can win a Stanley Cup with him. … I think the Dallas Stars would look correctly at Jake Oettinger and say we don’t need to worry about that position.”
Twitter: @dmn_stars
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