Jake Oettinger Says Goaltender Standard Must Rise After Six-Game Exit

Jake Oettinger said he came up short after the Stars were knocked out in six games in the First Round, and the goaltender made clear the season did not meet his own standard. He posted a 35-12-6 record in the regular season, but none of his three stated goals came through.

Oettinger Sets the Bar

At the team’s exit interviews this week, Oettinger said, "I don’t feel like I accomplished any of my goals". He named three of them: winning a Stanley Cup, winning the Vezina Trophy, and being a starting goalie for Team USA at the Olympics.

"I want to win a Stanley Cup, I want to win the Vezina Trophy, and I want to be a starting goalie for Team USA at the Olympics - and none of those three things happened." That line captured the gap between a strong regular season and a finish that fell short in the playoffs.

Dallas' Four-Year Window

Oettinger has already played 305 regular-season NHL games and 71 playoff games since being picked in the first round in 2017, and he has been part of three consecutive Western Conference Finals from 2023 to 2025. Even with that run, he said the Stars now face a tighter window.

"I think these next four or five years for our team, we need to win one," he said. "The sense of urgency has to be elevated, and everything I’m saying is speaking for myself." He added, "I need to step up here."

The pressure lands on a goalie who finished with 35 wins, the third most in the league, at 6-6 and 225 pounds. His own view is that the results are not enough unless the next step comes with more than regular-season value.

Oettinger’s Summer Plan

The next step starts with his offseason work. Oettinger said he plans to reach out to coaches and former players like Ben Bishop, and he believes the biggest gains may come from reading the game better.

"I think I can get smarter at the game," he said. "When I first got in the league, I was just playing my heart out. When I watch myself, I had some great games, but there was no real plan. I was just trying to stop the puck. Thinking about it strategically is something I could get better at."

That is the complication for Dallas: the Stars still have a top goaltender, but he is treating a 35-win season and a first-round exit as a baseline to move beyond. His next stretch in the net will be measured against the goals he said he did not reach this year.