"The Stars Tuesday put their faith in goalie Kari Lehtonen.

Announcing the two sides had agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension worth $10.65 million, the Stars made a clear statement that the 26-year-old netminder is the future of the team.

"We made the trade for Kari knowing full well what his potential was, and I thought he did a great job of showing us glimpses of that potential this year," said Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. "Now, we're prepared to move forward with him as our main goalie."

Lehtonen is expected to sign the contract on Wednesday.

Lehtonen was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers in February and, after a few rough outings, went 6-3-0 down the stretch with a 2.44 GAA and .926 save percentage. He was coming off of two off-season back surgeries and had lost the No. 1 job in Atlanta, but he provided the budget-conscious Stars the opportunity to acquire a player with No. 1 talent.

Lehtonen was taken second overall in the 2002 entry draft and has a 100-87-17 record in parts of six NHL seasons. He has a career 2.87 GAA and a .912 save percentage. He has been sidelined by back, groin and ankle injuries in that span. "