from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

This summer, the Stars improved at every position. They acquired Antti Niemi from San Jose to push Kari Lehtonen. They landed Patrick Sharp from Chicago in the Blackhawks’ march toward cap compliance. They signed Johnny Oduya to replace Trevor Daley, one of the pieces that went to Chicago in the Sharp deal.

But Dallas’s most important acquisition is one that will never pull on a green-and-white jersey.

On June 15, the Stars hired Jeff Reese as their goalie coach. Mike Valley, who previously held the position, shifted to director of goaltender development. Reese, formerly Philadelphia’s goalie coach, will be responsible for turning Lehtonen around and squeezing more performance out of Niemi. Reese’s pedigree suggests that neither task will be impossible.

Upon his exit from Columbus on April 3, 2013, Steve Mason did not resemble the up-and-coming goalie who won the Calder Trophy in 2008-09. Mason, sent to Philadelphia for Michael Leighton and a 2015 third-rounder, was on the bust trajectory.

But under Reese’s watch, Mason rediscovered his technique and swagger. In 2014-15, Mason went 18-18-11 with a 2.25 GAA and .928 save percentage. According to War On Ice, Mason was ranked No. 7 in saving goals above a replacement-level netminder. The top six were Carey Price, Cory Schneider, Devan Dubnyk, Marc-Andre Fleury, Semyon Varlamov, and Braden Holtby.

If Reese can submit similar work with Lehtonen, the Stars will be in good shape. General manager Jim Nill has shaped his high-skilled club into an attacking, dynamic group. The Stars play the game of the future, which centers on transitional speed.

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