Hey Heika: What does the future hold for Stars' goaltenders?

Ah, the life of a sports fan.
Negativity and impatience are the easiest emotions, but we have to fight against those, don't we. I understand this has been a frustrating season. One, the team isn't playing well. Two, the COVID/weather hiccups have been annoying. Three, the fact you can't watch in person (or even on TV in a lot of cases) flat out stinks.

But, and I say this in full understanding of what it feels like watching this team on a regular basis, it's not that bad.
I'm not sure the Stars are a great team. If they make the playoffs and face the Lightning in the first round, my guess is the oddsmakers would have them as the worst underdog in the league. But they are a good team, and I do believe their record does not reflect their play so far.
So let them chase the Blackhawks and see what happens. March onward with positivity, I say.
Now, on to your questions:
With Ben Bishop having to be protected and Jake Oettinger earning his keep, is it more likely Anton Khudobin goes into free agency or is he a viable pick for Seattle in the expansion draft? Seems most beneficial for the Stars if Seattle is taking an asset that won't be here next year anyway. -- @justjacobmartin
Mike Heika:Anton Khudobin has two years left on his deal at $3.3 million per season, so he is not facing free agency. However, the fact that Ben Bishop has two more years left at $4.9 million does create some interesting decision-making for the Stars this summer. Bishop has a no-movement clause, so he has to be protected for the expansion draft. Jake Oettinger is exempt because of his age and experience level, so he can't be taken. That means Khudobin could be taken by Seattle if the Kraken so choose.
If they do not, the Stars could have three goalies under contract and would then have to make a decision. One, they could allow Oettinger to go back to the AHL and keep Bishop and Khudobin. Two, they could try to trade Khudobin. Three, they could see if Bishop would waive his no-movement clause for a potential trade.
Because we don't know how Bishop will look when he eventually returns, we can't really make an assessment at this time. That said, if Seattle takes Khudobin, the Stars seem positioned to move forward with the current depth at goaltender.

AHL rookie Riley Damiani is lighting things up for the Texas Stars with 15 points in 12 games. Where (and when) do you see him eventually sliding into the Dallas lineup? Does he have top six NHL potential? -- @adlgator86
Heika:Riley Damiani was a big scorer in the OHL, so he could transfer that skill all the way up to the NHL. The right-handed center had 85 points (30 goals, 55 assists) in 58 games for Kitchener in 2018-19 and 78 points (28 goals, 50 goals) in 61 games in 2019-20. He has started this season with Texas on a tear with 15 points (6 goal, 9 assists) in 12 games.
Now, we have seen with a lot of players where junior scoring or AHL scoring doesn't transfer. And with Damiani being a fifth-round pick (137th in 2018), the odds are he won't be a top six forward. After all, we've seen players like Justin Dowling and Joel L'Esperance have to take a different role when making the step up to the NHL.
Still, it's better to have good young players showing skill than not, and the Stars do have a history of getting great surprises out of the fifth round, so we'll just have to wait and see.
Oettinger has looked very solid thus far -- except for his rebound control. I don't recall that ever being an issue with him before, so is it just a case of adjusting to the NHL level or what? -- @mairican
Heika:I think it might simply be that the shots are a lot harder in the NHL. It is a real talent to either deflect rebounds to the right place or to get the puck to stick to your body, so it's something that is learned at every level. One thing about Oettinger, he seems a real student of the game, and he seems to get better with every performance.

How many starts has Oettinger given up more than two goals? -- @SaltySeif
Heika: He has given up four goals in one game, three goals in five games, two goals in two games, one goal in one game, and zero goals in one game.
How has the divisional-only COVID schedule impacted the importance of the loser point? -- @wesalawrence
Heika:We won't really know until we get to the end, but my guess is it simply amplifies the three-point game. The more three-point games in your division, the closer the standings will likely be.
It will be interesting to see how it potentially changes the order of the Big Three and whether it plays a part in deciding who gets in and who doesn't.

I think there's no way Bones comes back as head coach next season. Who are the viable options for replacing him? Another college coach or a retread? Gallant? Can they get him before Seattle? Who do you feel would work best for this group out of the coaching options? -- @Brunzwick2
Heika: I know I work for the team, but I've been doing this for 20-something years, and I really don't get the Fire Bowness mindset. You can argue against some of his decisions on timeouts or lineup choices, but that completely ignores the changes he and the coaching staff have made that helped get this team to the Stanley Cup Final and helped make them a much better analytics team in the past 40-something games.
One, Bowness organized the research and implementation that made this a team that activates the defensemen more -- and I believe made it a much better team overall. Two, the players love him. You saw that in the video from the bubble, where Bowness really did a great job inspiring and directing this team.
When you listen to veterans like Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn rave about him, you know he has respect in the room. When you hear younger players like Jason Robertson, Joel Kiviranta and Jake Oettinger talk about their personal conversations with Bowness, you know he is a genuine person who connects with players on a real level.
I get that every coach is going to have critics -- that comes with the territory. But if you look at the jobs done by Glen Gulutzan, Lindy Ruff, Ken Hitchcock, Jim Montgomery and Rick Bowness, I'm taking Bowness over all of them right now. I really think he has been very good for the organization.
If the Stars miss the playoffs and end up bottom of the standings, is Nill's and/or Bowness' job on the line? Or will they chalk it up to weird season/circumstances? -- @Justinschmidt88
Heika:I'll issue the caveat that ownership can change its mind at any time, and if the Stars really do fall to the bottom of the standings, that could create some concern.
However, I see the Stars as believing they can win this season and next with the current lineup. They have a lot of work to do this year, but I believe they are better than Chicago and Columbus and have a chance to make the playoffs. If they do, then the potential returns of Ben Bishop (knee) and Tyler Seguin (hip) could really make them a difficult team to face.
But even if they don't make the playoffs, the contracts (to me) dictate that they stick with the current plan. Both Joe Pavelski and Alexander Radulov are under contract for next season. Rick Bowness is under contract for next season.
I think the easiest thing to do is tweak here and there, trust that the younger players will continue to improve, and try to ride the veterans for at least one more year. Then, when it's easiest to simply walk away from $13.25 million in combined cap hits for Pavelski and Radulov, you reassess. Do you need to go in a new direction and trust the kids at that time? That seems like a logical point to ask that question.
It doesn't seem logical right now.

Is the strategy to enter zone and look to get it back to blue line from the coaches? They seem better when they attack the net, but after a game of 4-plus goals, they come out next game with the designed play from blue line. Is that the strategy? -- @Call4Rod
Heika: If you're referring to that strategy on the weekend against Columbus, I do believe that was intentional for the Blue Jackets. Columbus doesn't attack the points when they are playing in their own zone, but they battle hard in the corners, so it seemed easy to get time and space for the defensemen to get shots off. If you're talking about overall, I think the Stars do mix it up and do try to go to the net on a regular basis.
Could they get there with more frequency and in a more aggressive mood? Sure. But I think they definitely work at getting the puck and the players to the net as much as possible.
It feels like with the Stars' financial situation, they should stay pat at the deadline. They don't seem to have much room. Thoughts? -- @aaronschickwx
Heika:Yeah, I don't see them doing much. If they are out of the playoff picture by April 12, they could move someone like Andrew Cogliano, Blake Comeau or Anton Khudobin, but my guess is they stand pat. I just don't see an area where they need to add anyone, and if they are in contention, they should get both Ben Bishop and Tyler Seguin back.

Is it just me or have the Stars been missing the net a lot this year? Maybe it's more noticeable when they aren't scoring as much, but it seems like there's several high-quality chances a game where they just don't hit the net. -- @benpatterson33
Heika:They're at about 11 missed shots per game, which is actually in the lower half of the NHL. They have been in that area for the past four seasons, after being third in the league in 2016-17 at 13.5 misses per game.
At this point, is it safe to say Bishop and Seguin will get shut down for the season? -- @FantasyBuffoon
Heika:Not at all. Both are on track to return sometime in mid-April, and I think both probably need the playing time to see how their injuries have healed. I think both play.

If the Stars cannot muster a season comeback, do you foresee a Jamie Oleksiak trade followed by a Thomas Harley promotion, or do you think they would rather keep Harley in the AHL and not burn a year of his entry-level contract? Is Harley dominating in the AHL? -- @DavidHasty17
Heika: Because so much of what the Stars do on defense depends on potential contract extensions for Miro Heiskanen (this summer) and John Klingberg (next summer), I think they need to be careful with Jamie Oleksiak.
They are in a weird spot because of the expansion draft. Oleksiak can become a UFA after this season. The expansion draft is July 21, but the guess is the Kraken won't take a potential UFA. Free agency begins July 28, so the Stars do have a window there where they could sign Oleksiak before free agency. Dallas won't sign Oleksiak to a contract extension before July 21, because the Stars are expected to protect Heiskanen, Klingberg and Esa Lindell, so then Seattle could take him if he is signed.
If they wait until Oleksiak explores free agency, they could definitely lose him, so I can see why people would want to potentially dangle him in a trade if the season looks lost on April 12. The thing is, if you lose both Oleksiak and Klingberg (because you can't sign him and think you need to trade him), I think that's a huge hole in your defense, so I think you need to be patient on both defensemen and take the risk with Oleksiak exploring free agency. I think given the chance to stay, he would like to remain with the Stars.
Thomas Harley has eight points (two goals, six assists) in 12 games with Texas and is a team-low minus-6, so he is learning and growing. He is still just 19 years old, so he needs more seasoning. I don't think he comes up at the end of the year because of the contract and because he probably can learn more playing in the AHL right now. Also, if the OHL returns to play, Harley is expected to go back there.
Some submissions have been edited for brevity and clarity. Have a question for a future Hey Heika mailbag? Tweet it to @MikeHeika and use #HeyHeika.
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.