With new deal, Scott Wedgewood earns stability and a place to call home

The journey of Scott Wedgewood is one any fan can appreciate.
The 29-year-old goalie has bounced around, playing for 11 teams in the ECHL, AHL and NHL, so signing a two-year deal with Dallas Stars this week was a big deal. Wedgewood played for New Jersey, Arizona and Dallas last season, going 0-2-1 with the Devils, 10-12-2 with the Coyotes and 3-1-3 with the Stars.

It was a huge step up for the backup goalie, and a huge glimpse into what he might be able to do going forward with this team.
"As I look back on my career, I haven't really had a winning record in the NHL," Wedgewood said on a Zoom call Friday morning. "I've played well, I don't think I've struggled, but I haven't played for those teams. As you think about the future and what I want my career to look like, coming back to Dallas with a competitive team and a chance to make a run, I think being on this team will be a real statement and a chance to prove myself."
WORTH A CLICK: [WEDGEWOOD SIGNS TWO-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION]
Wedgewood is 23-33-14 in his NHL career, but he said he's looking forward to better times. He's not alone, as the Stars feel they've found a great partner for Jake Oettinger and a dependable backup.
"I honestly believe we don't make the playoffs if Scott didn't play the way he did," Stars GM Jim Nill said. "We were riding Jake very hard, we needed a goalie to step up, and he did everything we asked. He had some huge wins where he pretty much saved us, and I just think that calmed everything down and allowed us to get our game back on track."
Wedgewood beat Carolina 4-3 in a shootout after making 44 saves and became an immediate fan favorite. Then, he shutout Tampa Bay, 1-0. Just as important, he forged a great relationship with Oettinger and helped the 23-year-old gain even more confidence to finish out a great season.
"It's huge, and it's what we want going forward," Nill said.
Dallas still has Anton Khudobin under contract and the hope is he'll be healthy and ready to go for training camp after missing much of last season. That said, Nill knows how important goaltending is.
"We saw last year just how unpredictable things can be, so we want to be prepared," he said.
Wedgewood is a big part of that. The former third-round draft pick of the Devils was in the New Jersey organization when new Stars coach Pete DeBoer also was with the Devils. Wedgewood showed in his relationship with goalie coach Jeff Reese that he can rekindle chemistry pretty easily, so the relationship makes sense on paper.
"It's going to be something I lean on. It's something Jeff Reese] and I talked about when I got there," Wedgewood said of the relationship and the confidence they have in each other. "When I got here, he said, `You've worked yourself into being an NHL goalie, your game has improved and it's like you've found your stride.' It kind of just boosted me up and put more confidence in my corner."
Of course, a one-way contract for two seasons doesn't hurt. Wedgewood will make $1 million a year for each of the next two seasons no matter where he plays. That's important for a guy who has bounced around the minors and been traded a few times. Now, he and his wife are considering moving their home base from Michigan to Dallas.
And while he could've tested the free agent market this summer, he said he feels he'll get everything he needs with the Stars.
"I thought about it," he said. "I thought about the 'what if.' I'm a big what-if type of person. But a big part of it was the relationship with Jake and Jeff and when I think I could play. And it's a chance to shine for two years. I'd already bumped around a lot, and I think the relationships I had in Dallas were key."
Playing on a team with Oettinger is a great opportunity to see how Wedgewood can be as a mentor and a good teammate. It's one of the strengths he sees in himself.
"I fit in that room, and on the ice, I'm not shy about work," he said. "I love to help guys out. I told [Oettinger] early on that I'm not here to steal your job. I just want my own. I haven't really had my own yet. I've just kind of been hanging on by a thread, but it was really fun to push each other and just feel that the team is better when we're better as a duo. It just fit right."
*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*.