It's a small accomplishment for a 32-year-old who has 489 games of NHL experience. In the past, the former Vezina Trophy winner and Stanley Cup champion likely wouldn't have been on the ice in a road preseason game. But because he has struggled the past two seasons, Holtby has some new challenges.
He was allowed to test free agency by the Capitals in 2020 after he posted a 3.11 goals-against average and .897 save percentage (despite a 25-14-6 record). Then, after signing a two-year deal with Vancouver that averaged $4.3 million per season, Holtby posted a 7-11-3 record with a 3.67 GAA and .889 save percentage. The Canucks bought him out in the summer, and the Stars decided to take a chance that Holtby can find his game in Dallas by signing him to a one-year deal for $2 million.
There is some logic behind the decision. One, Ben Bishop is still trying to recover from knee surgery, and Holtby could form a great goaltending duo with Anton Khudobin. And two, the Stars have a history of playing great team defense and getting the best out of their goalies.
Holtby said he's excited about playing in the Dallas system.
"It's as close to the top of the league as you're going to get," Holtby said, acknowledging that when he was an opponent with the Capitals, his teams struggled to get space. "Playing here, there was no room and they come to play every night. It's exciting. The bones of that are here and now it's up to the players to go do it."
Holtby has a history of being a calm and patient player, and that could be pretty important as the Stars try to sort out the four-goaltender situation. Oettinger had a solid rookie season last year, but now will probably have to start in the AHL. Still, he said he's excited to be able to get to work with a player who has the accolades of Holtby. The 22-year-old Oettinger said he told goalie coach Jeff Reese that working out with the 2018 Stanley Cup winner was a dream come true.
"He's been unreal," Oettinger said. "He's a guy I loved watching growing up. I told Reeser when I first started skating with Doby and Bish, I was like a kid in a candy shop, and it felt like that when I skated with (Holtby) for the first time. He's won the Cup, and that's what we all want to do. He's somebody I'm going to lean on a lot, and hopefully I can pick his brain a ton."
Holtby said he's excited to be in a room with Oettinger, Bishop and Khudobin. He said while there will be competition, they'll each be pushing the other to be the best goalie he can be.
"I'm just trying to go out there and play as good a hockey as I can," Holtby said. "That's really what all of us are trying to do. We have a goal here as a group to win, and that's the only goal that matters.
"There's a lot of experience between the four of us, but it only works if you're on the same page," he added. "If you're backing each other up, and you go out and work as hard as you can, you encourage the other guys and make sure the atmosphere is a culture of winning. We all know how to play."
The Stars on Monday iced a lineup of mostly depth players and then were stung by injuries to forward Fredrik Karlstrom and defenseman Jani Hakanpää. That left them chasing the game in the third period and overtime. The Blues dominated in overtime and forced the Stars into their own end for much of the time.
Karlstrom exited the game after only taking two shifts, while Hakanpaa left after skating 11:25 (12 shifts).
The injuries were not disclosed on Monday and will likely be updated on Tuesday.
Riley Tufte scored the Stars' lone goal off a nice pass from Mavrik Bourque. Ty Dellandrea led the Stars with five shots on goal, while Thomas Harley logged a game-high 24:05 in time on ice.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.
