Stars owner believes 1A/1B goalie structure will bring success

A question mark looms as to who'll carry the load in goal for the Dallas Stars next season, and that uncertainty is exactly what the club wants.

After the Stars finished last season with the league's fourth-worst goals-against average, owner Tom Gaglardi believes a change in philosophy between the pipes will help.

"Kari (Lehtonen) had an off year, and while we don't think that will happen again, our backups haven't been good enough since I have been here," Gaglardi told Mark Stepneski of the team's website. "So, we discussed the 1A/1B view because there are so few backups now. I think it is pretty hard on Kari when we give him a night off, and we never win.

"We knew we had to get deeper in goal, the 1A/1B thing, and that's why we went after (Antti) Niemi. He was at the top of our list along with another guy. We got our first choice. ... I think we have the best tandem in the league now."

The club signed Niemi to a three-year contract after the team acquired his rights this offseason. The 31-year-old is expected to share the net with Lehtonen, who's coming off a career-low .903 save percentage last season. Lehtonen also tied his second-worst goals-against average at 2.94.