Defending Big D

Teuvo Teravainen 2012 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

2012-05-26T16:17:06Z

This scouting profile is on Jokerit Right Wing Teuvo Teräväinen. Teräväinen has risen to fame in his native Finland playing at levels much higher than his age for the past 2 seasons. He has spent most of this season playing within the adult league, SM-Liiga, and has continued to prove productive.

Tuevo Teravainen

Right Wing / Jokerit U20/Jokerit - Jr A Sm-Liiga/Sm-Liiga

Height: 5-11

Weight: 165

Born: September 11 1994
Hometown: Helsinki- Finland

Shoots: Left

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	Playoffs	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2010-11 Jokerit U20	26	3	17	20	-	8	--	8	1	4	5	-	4
2011-12 Jokerit U20	11	12	8	20	-	4	--	2	1	1	2	-	0
2011-12 Jokerit	40	11	7	18	-5	6	--	9	2	4	6	+5	0

Rankings:

Final CSS European Rank: 2nd
Future Considerations: 10th
ISS: 8th
Hockey Prospect: 15th
The Hockey Guys: 21st
Craig's List: 7th

What do they say about him?

TSN

‘ According to scouts, Teravainen is a gifted playmaker with scoring ability - posted 11 goals and seven assists in Finland's top men's league at just 18 years of age.'

Elite Prospects

‘A solid scorer with good playmaking and excellent on-ice vision. Has good hockey sense and puck-handling. Creative and calm with the puck, effective on the powerplay. Needs to improve his skating and gain strength to take on veteran opponents. ‘

Last Word On Sports

‘He has incredible hockey sense and vision, and is an extremely creative playmaker. Teravainen will attempt passes that most forwards don't even dream about, feathering pucks through sticks and legs and putting them on the tape of his teammates. He controls the play in the offensive zone often preferring to be a setup man working off the half boards. Teravainen also possesses a very hard and accurate one timer and often unleashes it from the top of the circle. He is especially effective on the Power Play. Teravainen has really worked to improve his skating.'

Scouting Report (Mid Term Rankings)

‘Teravainen torched the Jr. A league early this season and quickly earned a call-up to Jokerit's senior team where he has been an admirable contributor. Teravainen is a very smart player who skates well and distributes the puck well on the attack. He's a good skater with an explosive first step and good agility. Teravainen's skill-set makes him a very valuable player on the powerplay as he is good in tight spaces and can be very dangerous when he has time and space. He is not overly big and doesn't have a physical aspect to his game but Teravainen looks like a nice pick around this range for a team who can wait for him to develop.'

Conclusion

Teuvo Teräväinen is an incredibly talented playmaking winger. He is a bit on the small size being about 5"11 generously and only around 165lbs. However despite his small size he has proven himself to be productive at higher leagues playing against bigger and older opponents. Playing in his first season in the SM-Liiga he has been able to be a valuable player for Jokerit. Considering the SM-Liiga is either the second or third best league in the world for a player to perform as well as he has done when being 17 is very impressive.

Teuvo Teräväinen has consistently played well against players who are both older and bigger than he is. He will probably need another year or maybe two playing in the SM-Liiga but he will make an impact as a top six winger when he reaches the NHL. As long as he stays healthy and isn't vulnerable to injury he should be able to become one of the most talented forwards in the game.

Teuvo Teräväinen is a bit of a wild card, some teams may be put off by his small stature and others might be willing to risk it in order to get hold of his incredible playmaking skills. With the Dallas Stars emphasis on centres and defenseman early in the draft it doesn't appear likely that they will select Teuvo Teräväinen. I'm fairly certain that he will be selected within the top 10 (My personal feeling is that he will be drafted by the Minnesota Wild and in the future will form a formidable finnish duo with Mikael Granlund).

NHL Awards 2012: Defending Big D's Masterton Trophy Ballot

2012-05-25T20:01:04Z

The 2012 NHL Awards take place next month in Las Vegas but until then, the SB Nation hockey crew decided we were going to vote on the awards ourselves. After all, we're much more qualified to make such decisions compared to the PWHA, general managers and owners....right? Each day this week and into next we'll announce one winner, continuing today with the Masterton Trophy.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. The winner, according to SB Nation, is...

Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens

Second place: Joffrey Lupul, Toronto Maple Leafs

Third Place: Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators

Pacioretty, as you should recall, was the victim of a devastating hit by Zdeno Chara last season that left the forward with a fracture to his C4 vertabra and a severe concussion. He recovered and went on to have a career season with the Candiens, posting 33 goals and 65 points in 79 games. Joffrey Lupul also had a career year, with 67 points in 66 games for the Maple Leafs after a severe infection following surgery kept him off the ice for nearly a year.

My ballot: (1) Joffrey Lupul, (2) Max Pacioretty, (3) Kari Lehtonen

Why Lehtonen? He's a Dallas Star and I thought he deserved a vote. He's overcome severe injury issues and has become one of the dominant goaltenders in the West.

2012 NHL Free Agency: Dallas Stars To Be Cautiously Aggressive on July 1

2012-05-25T16:07:40Z

There are a few very interesting storylines surrounding the Dallas Stars this summer, as the team heads toward the NHL draft and free agency focused on vastly improving a roster that needs more than a few key pieces. The excitement and uncertainty of the future is centered on owner Tom Gaglardi, who represents hope and progress after so many years of stagnant mediocrity.

Part of this uncertainty is due to not knowing just what sort of approach the Stars will be taking this summer, even with a new owner. The Stars have been so financially strapped the past three years that the notion of being able to actually be proactive in free agency is one that is completely foreign to fans that follow the team.

Last week, Tom Gaglardi wason Sports Radio 13010 The Ticket and was asked about free agency and the Stars' strategy heading into a very vital and crucial period for the franchise. Both Gaglardi -- and later CEO Jim Lites -- would confirm that the Stars basically have no budget heading into the summer and are willing to spend whatever is needed to improve the team.

This notion instantly evokes thoughts of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres, two teams that went all-in last summer and had their high-spending ways blow up in their face. The team the Jackets put together has already been picked apart and might find more pieces moved this summer. The Sabres overvalued several players and with a sky-high payroll failed to make the playoffs.

The good news is that, according to Gaglardi, while the Dallas Stars are certainly willing and able to open up the checkbook this summer -- the team will be smart about how they spend their money.

Part of the Stars strategy and reason for being cautious this summer is due to the impending expiration and re-negotiation of the CBA between the NHL and the NHLPA. The last time this happened, in 2004, the NHL lost an entire season and has spend the past seven years rebuilding a fanbase that was severely damaged because of it. Tom Gaglardi, a new face among the owners but one that has been around the NHL for a while, is optimistic that a lost season won't happen.

"I hope, given the experience the league went through in '04, that we're not going to make the same mistake and miss a whole season," said Gaglardi. "I don't think that benefits anybody. It certainly doesn't benefit the players. I really don't know what to expect. The timing is interesting."

The timing, as Gaglardi mentions, is certainly interesting because the CBA likely won't be re-negotiated until after July 1 when NHL free agency is set to begin. This creates a scenario where teams will be hesitant to hand out monster contracts because of the uncertainty surrounding just what the new CBA will look like, especially when it comes to limits on contracts, salaries and most importantly -- the salary cap. There is talk that the cap will go down and while contracts will likely be reduced by a set ratio, there's certainly going to be some teams in tight situations because of the contracts on their payroll.

"I know there's a temperament around the other teams about this free agency and how crazy it's going to go because the rules might change and you might be in a spot you don't want to be in if you go a little crazy this year," Gaglardi told Bob Sturm on The Ticket. "So it will be interesting to see what happens."

The Stars must be careful not to fall into the trap of becoming too aggressive in free agency, not just because of the impending CBA negotiations. The Stars, while certainly willing and capable of spending money, cannot fall victim to spend money just because they can -- especially on players that are worth such high value. The good news is, Tom Gaglardi is well aware of these dangers.

"The flip side of that," says Gaglardi, "is it's not a terribly deep free agency market with a lot of high end guys. I don't think you're going to see a lot of high end contracts. This is a pretty lame year in that regard."

This is the biggest issue with free agency this year; the Dallas Stars finally have the means to freely spend and there is a dearth of players valuable enough to actually spend that money on. That Gaglardi and the Stars have acknowledged this and are already approaching this summer with caution should be a great sign for fans, who worry about the possibility of the Stars finding themselves in the same situation as the Sabres and Blue Jackets, just because they could spend money over the summer.

This doesn't mean the Stars won't be willing to go after some big names. Gaglardi and Lites have both stated that this team needs two top-six forwards and at least one top-pair defensemen -- and ideally would be able to find a center if possible. With the list of players fitting these qualifications -- and actually worth the money -- being small, the Stars will have to be aggressive in identifying and pursuing the few top-end players that are going to be available.

When asked if the Stars had already focused on specific players, Gaglardi was up front with his answer.

"We've identified some guys we're going to pursue hard, so we expect to be in the mix."

The owner of the Dallas Stars has come out and stated that not only will he be willing to spend as much as is needed to improve the team, but that they are well aware of the dangers of spending just to appear as if progress is being made. This is about as good as news as Stars fans can ever expect; an owner that wants to spend but only on the players that actually deserve such monetary adulation.

"Hopefully we can emerge from free agency as a better team and not make the mistakes that you see made in free agency sometimes where teams can really strap themselves if they do a bad deal," said Gaglardi. "So you have to be mindful of that and careful of that, but there are some key guys there that we've identified and if they're available July 1 we intend to pursue them pretty hard."

Who are these players the Stars are so focused on? We'll dive into that mystery next week.

Dallas Stars Daily Links: Alex Chiasson Succeeding As He Moves Up The Ranks

2012-05-25T11:00:37Z

Among the slew of college prospects that jumped to the Dallas Stars minor league system late this season, Alex Chiasson might be one of the most intriguing.

The Quebec native who played three years at Boston University has a huge frame, listed at 6-foot-4, 202 pounds, and had a very solid career with the Terriers before joining the Texas Stars late in the season. He also settled in quickly in Texas, with five points in his first nine professional games.

He does fill the Stars always-open hole for a right-shot right-wing. He's been adding weight to his frame, putting on as much as 25 pounds over the past two years, and he could easily stand to fill out a little bit more with his height. He's probably still a year away from being an NHL regular, but he's also likely to get a good look in training camp, as Mark Stepneski details in this prospect profile.

"He’s a big man, right shot. He’s more cerebral than I thought he was. He’s been well coached," said Scott White, Texas Stars GM and Dallas Stars Director of Minor League Operations. "The detail of his game defensively is good, he makes good decisions with the puck, he’s strong along the wall and I sense that will improve because he’ll get some added strength over the summer, which he needs. He’s got a big frame; he just needs to fill out a little bit."

After the jump, evaluating the Stars forward corps, all the Jordie Benn you can handle and reactions to CBC's new silliest bit.

Bob Sturm didn't set out to write 2,700 words on the Stars forwards, but he gives us a very comprehensive and fair look at the group that just finished up the season in Dallas and where they might fit in the team's immediate future. [Fox Sports Southwest]
Jordie Benn will be making an appearance later in this links post, but the Stars are going to start us off with a profile that highlights his quick rise from "Jamie Benn's older brother" to decent defenseman prospect in his own right. [DallasStars.com]
The most interesting part of this article to me isn't the fairly standard information at the top by the efficiency ratings at the bottom with each individual player. [TSN]
This episode of the Rumor Roundup is focused on the Star, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why he even brings up Scott Gomez with that contract. [The Hockey News]
Krys Barch headed to the Florida Panthers midway through the season to try and find a larger role, but according to a Panthers blog, the experiment wasn't really a success. [The Rat Trick]
Mike Modano and Jeremy Roenick team up again, this time to tell you the best ways to fake a playoff beard. [ESPN]
Taylor and I are working on our reaction to the poorly conceived "While the Men Watch" fun, and there will be more on that next week. But I wanted to present two well-written views on it since it's one of the topics of the moment. The first sums up a lot of the frustrations of a female hockey fan. [Pension Plan Puppets]
This is a very well argued representation of an argument I've seen several times - that the underlying concept of the show isn't entirely sexist. And that is true, but I think the majority of the problem is with the execution of that concept, which veers well into the realm of demeaning stereotypes. [Backhand Shelf]
Todd donned his special powers and got an interview with your favorite player and mine, Dustin Brown. [Thursday Morning Cupcheck]
In the category of "was messing around on YouTube and found something funny," I think these two kids might just be fans of Jordie Benn.

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NHL Awards 2012: Defending Big D's Calder Trophy Ballot

2012-05-24T20:00:29Z

The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." This year's winner, at least according to SB Nation, is....

Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche

Second Place: Adam Henrique, New Jersey Devils

Third Place: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers

This was the easiest award to vote for. Landeskog was easily one of the most impressive forwards in the NHL, not just as a rookie. What impressed me the most was how he always seemed so mature as a player on the ice, playing like a seasoned veteran instead of a true rookie.

My ballot: (1) Gabriel Landeskog, (2) Jake Gardiner, (3) Matt Read

As we move through these awards it's obvious that either a) I have no clue what I am doing here or b) I prefer to use metrics that most don't. For me, it's not just about point totals it's about the total package and I felt that both Gardiner and Read had tremendous seasons for their teams -- and that's why I voted for them.

Why Hockey Fans Should Root For Devils Vs. Kings

2012-05-24T17:38:12Z

Why Hockey Fans Should Root For Devils Vs. Kings

Tyler Bleszinski makes the case that all hockey fans should root for a Devils and Kings Final. While i think it would be hilarious to see the NHL moan and groan about how "boring" the series will be or how low the ratings might get...I have no clue who I would root for in such a series.

Kings? Devils? What's the worst of two evils?

Filip Forsberg 2012 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

2012-05-24T16:45:56Z

This draft profile is on Leksand Winger Filip Forsberg. He was the captain of the U18 Swedish squad that won Gold at the World Junior Championships. He also played for the U20 Swedish squad this season. He currently is playing in the Allsvenskan against grown men. Filip Forsberg is not related to Peter Forsberg.

Filip Forsberg

Centre / Leksand J20/Leksand - SuperElit/Allvenskan

Height: 6-1

Weight: 176

Born: August 13, 1994
Hometown: Ostervala, Sweden

Shoots: Right

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	Playoffs	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2010-11 Leksand J20	36	21	19	40	-	22	--	-	-	-	-	-	-
2010-11 - Leksand	10	1	0	1	-	0	--	6	0	1	1	-	0
2011-12 - Leksand	43	8	9	17	-	33	--	10	2	1	3	-	0

Rankings:

Final CSS European Rank: 1st
Future Considerations: 5th
ISS: 2nd
Hockey Prospect: 3rd
The Hockey Guys: 6th
Craig's List: 7th

What do they say about him

Last Word On Sports

‘Forsberg is a versatile forward, capable of playing either wing position. Some scouts say he's a power forward in the making, and he certainly tries to play that style of game. He's willing to hit opponents, throw his body around, and drive the net. The problem is that Forsberg is not very physically mature. He's very skinny for his height. As such his power game is not as effective as it could be. He will definitely need to add some muscle to his frame before he's ready for the rigors of the NHL.'

The Hockey Writers

‘Although he helped his team win the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in January, Forsberg was a non-factor in the gold medal game of the U18 Championships in the Czech Republic, watching the US trounce all over team Sweden, 7-0. Despite that, Forsberg has left his mark as one of this years top forwards in the draft. He is lanky, but can control the play, stickhandle between opponents, create chances, or use his speed to go around defenders. His quick shot leaves goalie baffled and his vision is second to none.'

NHL.Com

"A leader who shows by example -- I would compare him to Anaheim's Corey Perry a little bit," NHL Director of European Scouting, Goran Stubb, told NHL.com. "Has a nose for the net, and often scores the big goals. He's a creative playmaker, good skater with fine straight-ahead speed. He's a right-handed forward with an excellent shot and an effective two-way player with a great winning attitude. Filip's a solid puck carrier with very good puck-handling skills; mature, good size and physically strong. On top of that, he'll sacrifice himself to make the play."

Scouting Report (Mid Term Rankings)

Forsberg had a bit of a rough start to the season offensively, but has come on nicely over the past couple of months in Leksand - a period that also included some strong play in the World Juniors as a 17-year-old. Forsberg has a high skill level and displays good puck skills to go along with a quality shot. He is an above average skater and plays with a high energy level and is also willing to finish checks and compete in board battles. Overall, he's still a work in progress, but his ceiling is quite high and his unique skill-set makes him a player that teams will covet in the draft.

Conclusion

Filip Forsberg has the talent to become a very good top six forward in the NHL. He has good hands, a good shot and plays a high energy game. Though he does finish his checks in order to reach the next level he needs to add more size to his frame. At the moment he is seen as being too lanky and in danger of being pushed around by other larger players. However he has performed well in the men's league in Sweden despite his statue suggesting that he could definitely become a quality forward at the NHL level.

Filip Forsberg is almost certainly going to be a top 10 pick in this years draft. He is a talented forward who excels not only in the offensive end but can play well in his own defensive zone. Though he might not be physically mature enough to play in the NHL next year he will definitely be playing in North America within the next couple of years. He will likely be selected before the Dallas Stars pick.

The Consequences Of The Impending Kari Lehtonen Contract

2012-05-24T12:00:15Z

Over the past two seasons Kari Lehtonen has arguably been the Stars best or most valuable player. The Stars defensive struggles are common knowledge. Yet, despite their defensive short-comings, the Stars were fighting for a playoff spot in the final days of the season for the second straight year. Without Kari how close does this team get to a playoff berth?

The Stars will have to face that prospect in the not too distant future. Lehtonen has one year remaining on his contract with the Stars before dipping his toe into the unrestricted free agent pool for the first time in his career. If his 2013 season is on par with his 2011 and 2012 seasons he will be in line for a big payday. What kind of contract can Kari expect, and what ramifications does the Lehtonen decision have on the Stars roster going forward? We'll explore those and many other questions after the jump.

There are several issues to consider before we discuss what value to assign Kari Lehtonen going forward. One question is going to linger over this post until the end: should the Stars extend Kari Lehtonen long term? Answering that question is our endgame so for now just keep it in mind. Before we attempt to answer that question it would be wise to acquaint ourselves with the other roster issues that should be top of mind for the Stars during this process.

The roster at present is in a state of flux. The Stars of the twenty teens have little in the way of a project-able identity. Currently they have only three players signed to contracts of longer than two years (Loui Eriksson, Trevor Daley, and Alex Goligoski). None of the three make huge money. Jamie Benn, Tomas Vincour, Philip Larsen, and Richard Bachman are under control for several years. They have the makings of a solid roster, and with Lehtonen's contract coming to an end after next season the Stars are going to be forced to decide if he will also be part of that group.

What happens to the goalies already in the system after an extension for Kari? The Stars invested a high first round pick in Jack Campbell, and at some point during Lehtonen's extension Campbell is going to need to play meaningful NHL minutes. Considering where Campbell is in his development he isn't a particularly high concern, but given that Lehtonen is very likely to receive a No Movement Clause of some significance the situation could get complicated eventually if Campbell develops the way the Stars hope he will.

This might seem like a strange question, but it needs to be considered at least momentarily by the Stars before they ink Lehtonen to a big time deal. Is Lehtonen much better than Richard Bachman? Drawing conclusions about Bachman vs Lehtonen isn't possible given how little experience Bachman has in the NHL. 15 games for a goalie is just about irrelevant to future performance for a goalie, but Bachman was actually a hair better than Kari at even strength last year.

Bachman's future isn't something that will keep the Stars from signing Lehtonen this off season for sure. Suppose they are unable to reach an agreement this off season though. Then Kari hurts himself in camp, and Bachman takes over in net. If Bachman is league average next year and affordable would the Stars be better served allocating the Lehtonen money elsewhere? I would still lean heavily towards signing Kari if the terms are within reason, but injuries are going to continue to be a question mark going forward.

One final consideration for the Stars runs parallel to the Bachman point. Is paying a premium to keep Kari Lehtonen in Dallas worth the price given the relatively small difference between an average goalie and elite goalie? A league average save percentage is somewhere in the ballpark of .912. Assume Kari is able to continue playing at last year's career best .922 save percentage. Over 1800 shots (around 60 games) in a season that's a difference of 18 goals, or one goal every three games. Whether or not that premium is ultimately worth it will be answered in time, but the answer will again come back to what kind of terms they are able to get Kari to agree to sign.

What terms can Kari reasonably expect to receive as a free agent? Currently two other netminders are going to be seeking large raises in 2013 with Kari. Both Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Quick are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents. I would be shocked to see either hit the market, but not stunned. At the moment Kari is looking at some competition for money. The money necessary to lock up "that guy" in net moves into uncomfortable territory quickly. Below are the notable goaltender contracts of the past few seasons.*

*I didn't include Marc-Andre Fleury or Martin Brodeur. Brodeur isn't included for the obvious age considerations. Fleury signed his contract at 23 so he wasn't signed in response to pending free agency which is usually going to drive a contract's value up. It's also very possible I forgot someone, but that shouldn't change the idea here.

NAME	YEAR	TERM*	TOTAL	AAV
Ryan Miller	2010	5	31.25	6.25
Jonas Hiller	2011	4	18	4.5
Ilya Bryzgalov	2012	7	47.5	6.79
Roberto Luongo	2011	8	57	7.13
Pekka Rinne	2013	7	49	7.00
Jaroslav Halak	2011	4	15	3.75
Tim Thomas	2007	4	20	5.00
Tomas Vokoun	2008	4	22.8	5.7
Evgeni Nabokov	2007	4	21.5	5.38
Henrik Lundqvist	2009	6	41.25	6.88
Miika Kiprusoff	2009	5	33.5	6.70
SUM		5.27	32.44	6.15

*I removed the final few years on the CBA circumventing deals to give a more fair represntation of the actual value of the deal. Luongo had four removed. Bryzgalov lost two.

The moral of this story is that goalies get paid. Over the past four years goalies have signed extensions worth in the ballpark of five years for 32.44 million dollars and a 6.15 million cap hit without the CBA circumventing years tacked on at the end. Kari and his representation would be well within their rights to ask for a contract comparable to that of Ryan Miller based on recent trends. They could realistically ask for higher when you factor in inflation on some of the deals, but the upcoming CBA negotiations are likely to stamp down some of that inflation.

The next reasonable question to ask is "How does Kari stack up with those guys?". If he's going to be asking for a contract in that range he needs to have the statistical foundation in place to back up his request. Below are the relevant stats for each goalie mentioned above.

NAME	TEAM	SAVE %*	GAA
Ryan Miller	BUF	.925	2.47
Jonas Hiller	ANA	.928	2.56
Pekka Rinne	NSH	.928	2.36
Tim Thomas	BOS	.932	2.26
Henrik Lundqvist	NYR	.928	2.27
Roberto Luongo	VAN	.931	2.36
Jaroslav Halak	STL	.927	2.43
Tomas Vokoun	WSH	.930	2.53
Ilya Bryzgalov	PHI	.925	2.56
Miikka Kiprusoff	CGY	.920	2.53
Evgeni Nabokov	NYI	.922	2.47

*Even strength save percentage over a four year period. Overall save percentage fluctuates wildly. A big reason for that is shorthanded save percentage is very erratic. So, special teams statistics are removed to try to identify the "true talent" of the goalie. GAA is also for the past four years.

...and now how the average production of that group compares to Kari Lehtonen....

NAME	SAVE %	GAA
Totals	.927	2.44
Kari Lehtonen	.925	2.57

The quick eye test tells us that Kari can reasonably be put in the same group with the recent mega goalie deals. His save percentage fits in at about average for that group of eleven goalies over the past four years. The midpoint of those contracts is, as I mentioned above, about five years and 32 million dollars or the Ryan Miller contract. Kari also has similar counting stats to Miller over the past four years so it wouldn't be much of a shock if his representatives used Miller's contract as a negotiating point.

Should the Stars sign Kari to a five year deal for 32 million though? If he remains healthy there is a good enough chance that he can match the production of the other big earners, but the Stars have to be confident than Kari can give them 60 games a year going forward before they can begin negotiating in earnest. I would still be skeptical of handing out a contract that large to a goalie, but that group is a consistently good group. Kari may end up overpaid, but barring something unforeseen he shouldn't become an albatross. When factoring in the stability a long term extension would bring it's reasonable for the fanbase to expect the Stars to get this deal done.

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