"As expected today, Andrew Raycroft was placed on waivers and Kari Lehtonen has been named the starter for Thursday's game against Columbus.

Lehtonen has been out since injuring his groin Nov. 26 against Phoenix and has missed the past 12 games. He has a 13-4-1 record with a 2.34 GAA and .926 save percentage.

``Lehts is ready to go, so he'll get the start,'' Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. ``I think it's the right time to do this, and he's ready.''"