John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images

Jake Oettinger, Stars Agree to 8-Year, $66M Contract After Swayman, Ullmark Deals

Julia Stumbaugh

The Dallas Stars have locked in starting goaltender Jake Oettinger for eight more seasons.

The Stars and Oettinger agreed on Thursday to an eight-year, $66 million extension that will keep him with the team through the 2032-33 season.

His $8.25 million AAV matches the contracts recently given to the Boston Bruins' Jeremy Swayman and Ottawa Senators' Linus Ullmark.

Oettinger was previously set to become a restricted free agent following the expiration of his current three-year, $12 million deal in 2025.

The netminder, who turns 26 in December, is in his fifth season with the Stars after being selected in the first round of the 2017 draft out of Boston University.

Oettinger became the Stars' first-string goaltender during the 2021-22 campaign. He has since marked 30 wins, and backstopped his team to the playoffs, in three straight seasons.

He made 54 appearances (53 starts) for the Stars in 2023-24, marking a .905 save percentage and 2.72 goals against average while helping Dallas finish the regular season at the top of the Central Division.

Oettinger capped off last season by helping the Stars to a second straight appearance in the Western Conference Finals. In the conference semifinals, he held the Colorado Avalanche to one goal in a 29-save double overtime Game 6 victory that sent the Stars on to the third round.

The goaltender inked his deal following a strong start to the 2024-25 season. He has so far marked a 3-0 record with a .948 save percentage and one blank sheet.

He heads into the new deal with an overall record of 116-48-23, including a career .914 save percentage and 11 career shutouts.

The contract is set to make Oettinger one of the five most highly-paid goaltenders in the NHL in terms of average annual value starting next season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy will earn a league-high AAV of $9.5 million AAV, while the Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck ranks second with an annual salary of $8.5 million. Oettinger will tie the former Bruins tandem of Saros and Ullmark and the New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin for third place on the list.

The deal will allow Stars to avoid any conflict over Oettinger's next deal after watching the Bruins lose Swayman for the preseason amid contentious contract negotiations in Boston.

Instead, Dallas will be able to focus on making it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2020. The team entered the season as favorites for a deep playoff run, with Oettinger backstopping a strong roster staffed by young stars including Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston and led by veterans like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.

   

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