Kari Lehtonen talks about change
Kari Lehtonen entered the league with big expectations.
He was drafted 2nd in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. With that selection, he became the highest drafted European goalie and also the highest Finnish draft pick ever.
His play was good, if not great, with Atlanta.
In 2010 he was traded to Dallas. This past season he compiled a 34-17-10 record with a 2.94 GAA and 0.903 save percentage.
With the offseason signings of Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya, there are even higher expectations in Dallas.
The Stars also gave up a 7th round draft pick to acquire Antti Niemi.
Lehtonen sat down with the Dallas Stars Hockey Club and discussed the upcoming season, including Niemi and a goaltending coaching change:
Lehtonen said he is looking forward to working with Niemi, a fellow Finn he knows well.
“We were at the Olympics together, grew up a mile apart and we are the same age. We have been crossing paths here and there,” Lehtonen said. “He’s a really nice guy, and I am happy that he is going to be here. He is going to be pushing me, and I have to do well if I want to get ice time.”
How Lehtonen and Niemi will split that ice time is anybody’s guess right now. Both goaltenders have averaged about 60 games per season in recent years. With the NHL schedule still at 82 games, they both won’t play 60 games this upcoming season. Lehtonen said it will be a challenge, but thinks there can be benefits.
“I think it is about finding the groove and staying sharp without playing every night. It’s going to be a challenge, but I am excited to see because it can work really well,” he said. “We can both be fresh but still get enough ice time to still stay confident and keep our game going. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Lehtonen will not only be adjusting to a new goaltending partner, he’ll have a new goaltending coach as well. The Stars hired Jeff Reese, who had been in Philadelphia, to take over for Mike Valley, who has been moved into the position of director of goalie development for the Stars.
“[Reese] is a nice guy and he’s been around for a while. I liked what he was able to do with [Steve] Mason in Philly, turning his game around,” Lehtonen said. “We’ve been watching video, going through things he sees that are really good in my game that I should do more often, and there’s some stuff I should stay away from. It’s been back and forth, throwing out ideas, and it’s been good.”
A new perspective and a new voice could pay dividends.
“I hope so. It was hard when I got the phone call from Mike that he was not going to be here anymore,” Lehtonen said. “But when you look on the other hand, it’s been six years with the same guy, and that’s also a long time. Maybe it’s good to get a set of new eyes, new thoughts about my game. And I’ll still talk to Mike. We are good friends. I’ll have that forever, and that’s pretty cool.
Image courtesy of Lisa Gansky.
