Mike Heika: Tobias Stephan to be assigned to the AHL

by Brandon Worley on Feb 6, 2009 8:19 AM CST in News Comment 2 comments

Mike Heika of the DMN is reporting that Tobias Stephan will be assigned to the AHL and veteran net-minder Brent Krahn will be called up to the Dallas Stars to backup Marty Turco.

This move makes sense is a couple of ways:

It gives Stephan playing time. He has been on the ice just twice in the past two months as the Stars have fought their way back into the playoff hunt.
It gives the Stars a decent backup in case Turco starts to stumble. Krahn has a 2.28 GAA and a .914 Sv% in eight appearances for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Krahn is a career minor league goalie who has yet to play in his first NHL game, but his numbers over his career aren't that bad.
The Stars now have some time to evaluate and make a decision about what to do about the backup situation. If Stephan struggles in the minors then the Stars will most likely go after a veteran via trade. However, if he hits the ground running and plays well in the AHL then the Stars will most likely call him back up and know he can still do the job behind Turco.

What are your thoughts on this move? Is this a smart decision by the Stars?

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Should have been done earlier

But at least it happened. Stephan wasn’t getting any better by riding the pine and Krahn doesn’t sound like he’s that bad.

by hiafex on Feb 6, 2009 1:54 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

since Turco will get the vast majority of the play time, Stephan is better off playing in the AHL and getting regular play time. If he was getting say 1 out of every 4 starts in the NHL, I think it might be more beneficial for him to stay here, but since he’s getting maybe 1 out of every 10, then there’s no point in him riding the bench. The drop in performance from Stephan to Krahn likely isn’t much when considering he won’t see much ice time.

Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.

by rangers85 on Feb 6, 2009 7:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs