Dallas Stars Waive Alex Auld, Leaving Marty Turco Rumors Hanging

After weeks of rumors swirling around the NHL involving the—what was once called likely—trade of Marty Turco news breaks today that the Dallas Stars have waived backup Alex Auld.

Stars rumors really caught steam after a trade with the Atlanta Thrashers in which the Stars acquired goalie Kari Lehtonen. It was expected the Stars would trade Turco before the trade deadline and place Lehtonen as the starter. The most common rumor being heard was a trade between the Philadelphia Flyers involving Marty Turco.

With the dust now collecting on any of those trade rumors becoming reality it seems Lehtonen will backup veteran Marty Truco, but if nothing else the changes put a lot more pressure on Turco to be successful in the second half of the season and provide Dallas with a higher quality back-up. Auld played well for the Stars, earning himself a 3.00 GAA and .894 save percentage in 21 games.

Turco played well for the Stars for the final six games heading into the trade deadline, but may seem rusty after the long break.

As far as my personal take, I'd have to say Marty won't be a Star come next season unless the Stars make the playoffs. Dallas has a couple of great goaltending prospects in the AHL and is betting Lehtonen could be a solid man in net going forward for Dallas.

Look for the Stars to play Lehtonen often, to see how solid he will be in a constant starter role, especially if Marty doesn't play well out of the gate for the second half. If nothing else, the vice grip on Marty Turco has tightened and only Marty can likely control his destiny as a Star.

Auld played solid for the Stars, and will be missed and in my mind he deserved a job with the Stars more than Turco did, but alas a veteran gets a longer leash to play on. So long to Auld, and good luck to him in the future.

On Tuesday, March 2, the Dallas Stars will be back in action against the visiting Los Angeles Kings, until then Olympic Dallas Stars will represent their respective countries' hoping for gold.

Ken Armer is a Community Leader for the NHL and the Dallas Stars for Bleacher Report. He also covers the Texas and Dallas Stars for Hockey54.com. He can be contacted at [e-mail].