Kari Lehtonen News

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen to get another start in quest to regain peak form
"Kari Lehtonen understands where he is in his career, and so do the Stars. Lehtonen, 26, has battled injury problems and conditioning issues for much of his six NHL seasons, but the Stars believe that if they can get the big goalie on the right track, they can find the player who was taken second overall by Atlanta in the 2002 draft. Lehtonen will start against the Sharks tonight, his second start since being acquired by the Stars in a Feb. 9 trade that sent prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth-round pick to the Thrashers. Lehtonen allowed six goals on 34 shots in a 6-3 loss March 6 at Pittsburgh and has also allowed three goals in two relief appearances. He is 0-1-0 with a 4.41 goals ..."
Stars don't have much time to wait for Kari Lehtonen
"The Catch-22 of the Kari Lehtonen trade unfolded like a butterfly Saturday afternoon at Mellon Arena.Yes, getting a 26-year-old goalie with tremendous upside could bear long-term fruit. But acquiring an injury-prone backstop who hasn't played in a year means you'd better be ready for some transition pains.Lehtonen, who has been out since last season because of back surgery, allowed six goals on 34 shots in his first start since the Stars acquired him in a Feb. 9 trade with Atlanta."I can say the goalie looked fatigued ... and we're confident he's going to get better," Stars coach Marc Crawford said.The problem is the Stars don't have time to wait. Dallas is slipping out of the playoff ..."
Kari Lehtonen makes debut in Dallas Stars net
"The Kari Lehtonen era started a little quicker than anticipated Thursday night.After Marty Turco allowed four goals on 11 shots against the Blues, coach Marc Crawford pulled his starting goalie and inserted the recently acquired Lehtonen for his debut in a Stars uniform. Lehtonen was shaky and allowed two goals on 16 shots.He worked well in traffic, covered a lot of space and looked a little rusty at times. No surprise, since he last played an NHL game April 11 for the Atlanta Thrashers.But with Turco struggling and the Stars possibly slipping out of the playoff picture, you do have to wonder what the plan will be for Lehtonen now. He's working hard on conditioning and getting his back ..."
New Dallas Stars goalie will be rested, but rusty
"Kari Lehtonen's year off the NHL ice has been a real blessing.The injury-prone goalie has been able to undergo two back surgeries to take care of disk and nerve problems and has been able to fully rest his chronicallysore groins."It feels like the lockout year for me," Lehtonen said of not playing an NHL game since April. "The mind is fresh and the body feels really, really good."But the flip side of that coin is Lehtonen, who was acquired from Atlanta in a trade Tuesday, will jump into the thick of a Western Conference playoff race after only five games of minor league play on a recent conditioning assignment.While the Stars are excited about what they have in the 26-year-old who was ..."
Kari Lehtonen era comes to an end in Thrasherville
"Tuesday night the Atlanta Thrashers shipped off Kari Lehtonen to the Dallas Stars in return for defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth round draft pick. With this deal, combined with the one that sent Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey last week, the Thrashers have dumped quite a bit of salary of late. Lehtonen is scheduled to be an RFA this summer and is currently making $3 million…Vishnevskiy will be an RFA in 2011 and is being paid just under $850,000 per season. Vishnevskiy was the 27th overall draft pick in the 2006 draft and has played in a total of 5 NHL games…two this season. He has two assists in those games…both coming last season and both on the power play. In between periods of the ..."
Lehtonen trade is another blemish on Thrashers' draft history
"When the Thrashers selected Patrik Stefan with their first pick in their first draft in 1999, general manager Don Waddell said: "This is a very big day for our franchise. We've made it no secret how we feel about Patrik and what kind of player he is." Three years later, when Waddell made Kari Lehtonen the first goalie the franchise drafted with a No. 1 pick, the Thrashers' GM said: "Our scouts say that he is the best amateur goalie coming out for the draft in the last 10 years. He can make the difference for our team for a lot of years to come." Stefan was a bust and is now out of hockey. Lehtonen's career has been a roller coaster and he is now in Dallas. No deep analysis necessary here. ..."
Thrashers trade Lehtonen to Dallas
"Kari Lehtonen will play another NHL game -- it just won't be for the Thrashers. The Thrashers traded the goaltender, recovering from two off-season back surgeries, to Dallas on Tuesday for defensive prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth-round draft pick this year. Lehtonen, 26, is the franchise's all-time leader in games played (204), wins (94), save percentage (.912) and shutouts (14). He also is the single-season record holder for games (68), minutes (3,934), wins (34), shutouts (4) -- all set in 2006-07 -- and save percentage (.916, 2007-08). He finished his Thrashers career with a 94-83-17 record and a 2.87 goals-against average. After returning from a two-week conditioning stint at ..."
Lehtonen practices, no timetable for NHL return
"Thrashers goaltender Kari Lehtonen practiced with the team Monday after returning from a two-week conditioning assignment at AHL Chicago. There is no timetable for Lehtonen, returning from two off-season back surgeries, to play his first NHL game since April 11, 2009. "Kari is not going to go just yet," Thrashers coach John Anderson said. "We'll see what he looks like on a day-to-day basis. I don't want to set him up to fail. I want to make sure he's 100 percent ready to go in and make an impact for us. "I don't know exactly what we are going to do. We might carry three [goaltenders]. We still have two or three weeks to decide.""
Thrashers recall Lehtonen from AHL Chicago
"Thrashers goaltender Kari Lehtonen was recalled from his conditioning assignment at AHL Chicago on Sunday. Lehtonen appeared in four games for Chicago during his two-week stint. He went 1-2-2. In his final game on Friday, he lost in a shootout after stopping 17-of-19 shots in regulation and 6-of-9 in the shootout."
Lehtonen returns to Thrashers from AHL Chicago
"The Thrashers recalled goaltender Kari Lehtonen from his two-week conditioning stint at AHL Chicago on Sunday. Lehtonen made his final start on Friday night, losing in a shootout after stopping 17-of-19 shots in regulation and 6-of-9 in the shootout. In all, Lehtonen appeared in four games, going 1-1-2. He allowed 11 goals on 109 shots for a .899 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against average. I will see what the plan is at Monday's practice. Also, it appears the Boris Valabik's injury, suffered to his left leg on Friday night, will cost him some games. The team did not have an official word following the game. I saw Boris in the hallway after the game and asked if he was OK. He was on the ..."
Lehtonen leaves for conditioning stint at AHL Chicago
"It's time for Kari Lehtonen to play hockey again. The Thrashers goaltender, out all season recovering from two back surgeries, left Friday for the team's AHL affiliate in Chicago to begin a two-week conditioning assignment. Lehtonen will play for the Wolves against Peoria on Saturday. "Everything feels good, but this will be the real test," Lehtonen said. "I'm really positive now that I believe everything is going to be fine. I'm not 100 percent sure what's going to happen, but I believe everything is going to be fine. That's why we are doing this, to test everything and make sure it's OK." Lehtonen can stay with Chicago until Feb. 6. The Wolves play seven games in the two-week period. ..."
Lehtonen getting closer to return
"Goaltender Kari Lehtonen is getting close to a return, according to Thrashers coach John Anderson. Lehtonen has returned to the ice after two back surgeries. He has been out all season but his practice schedule has picked up in the last week. "He's been doing a lot, actually," Anderson said Monday."
Kari Lehtonen has another back surgery
"Kari Lehtonen underwent another back surgery on Friday. The procedure was to remove edges of bone that were applying pressure to nerve roots in his back at two locations. The surgery was performed by Dr. Paul Maurer at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. The locations on the back were different than the location of the surgery he had on July 20. The team says he will be sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks. Thrashers had a late optional skate on Wednesday. They start at 1 p.m. We'll need to check the status of Ron Hainsey, who missed both games in Canada. He left last Friday's practice with an undisclosed injury that coach John Anderson said was "day-to-day." I will let you know if I find ..."
Lehtonen no closer to returning to Thrashers
"Goaltender Kari Lehtonen is no closer to returning to the Thrashers than he was soon after offseason back surgery. According to Thrashers general manager Don Waddell, Lehtonen again experienced pain in his legs while rehabbing from July surgery to repair a herniated disc. He recently received another epidural injection to reduce inflammation, and he has stopped skating. Waddell said Friday that Lehtonen is scheduled for another examination by doctors to determine the next course of action. Waddell said he would not label the current situation a setback. "When you are dealing with the back, everyone heals at a different rate," Waddell said. "He is progressing very slowly." Lehtonen signed a ..."
Thrashers' Lehtonen has back surgery
"Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back earlier this week. He is not expected to miss a significant amount of time when the Thrashers report for training camp in September. The Thrashers and Lehtonen's agent, Larry Kelly, confirmed the surgery to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. According to the Thrashers, Lehtonen underwent the procedure at St. Joseph's Hospital on Monday. The surgery was performed by Dr. Plas James and took approximately 25 minutes. "We expect him back on the ice by the start of training camp or shortly after," Thrashers spokesman Rob Koch said."
Thrashers Lehtonen staying in Atlanta
"The Thrashers re-signed goaltender Kari Lehtonen on Wednesday when he accepted his one-year qualifying offer as a restricted free agent. Wednesday was the deadline for him to accept the offer. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Lehtonen earned $3 million last season. Lehtonen had a 19-22-3 record with three shutouts, a 3.06 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 46 games last season. He missed time with injuries to his back and head. Lehtonen, 25, is the franchise's all-time leader in games played, wins, shutouts and save percentage."
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