Stars acquire Auld, sign Fistric

The Stars went with familiarity Wednesday in their search for a backup goalie. A day after losing their pursuit of free agent Jonas Gustavsson to Toronto, they acquired Alex Auld from Ottawa in a trade for a sixth round draft pick in 2010. Auld, 28, played for new Stars head coach Marc Crawford and Stars goalie consultant Andy Moog when the three were with the Vancouver Canucks in the early 2000s and also was a teammate of new Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk on the Florida Panthers in 2006-07. ``I definitely think it makes a difference that you really know what you're getting with Alex,'' said Nieuwendyk. ``We know what he's capable of.'' Auld is a big goalie (6-4) who was taken 40th overall in the 1999 entry draft. He has mixed great seasons with mediocre campaigns, and Crawford said he thinks the goalie has learned a lot. ``I think the year in Vancouver with us when Dan Cloutier was hurt is a great example,'' Crawford said of the 2005-06 season. ``Alex stepped in and played extremely well, but then kind of slumped near the end. We know the ability is there, but it's just a matter of getting the consistency.'' Auld went 33-26-6 that season with a 2.84 GAA and .902 save percentage. He went 7-13-5 and lost at battle for the No. 1 goaltender spot to Ed Belfour after getting traded to Florida the next season. But in his past two seasons as a backup in Boston and Ottawa, he has posted GAAs of 2.32 and 2.47 and save percentages of .919 and .911. Auld said the disappointment in Florida was a career-changing experience. ``It was hard, and there were times I wondered if I was going to be able to stay in the league,'' he said. ``But you learn from it, you dig in, and you make yourself better. That's what I think I did.'' Auld said he hopes to bond with No. 1 goalie Marty Turco and push him, as well. And Nieuwendyk said that's exactly what's he's looking for. ``We all know that Marty Turco is our No. 1 goalies, but we need someone to push him, as well as support him,'' Nieuwendyk said. ``And that's what we hope Alex can do.'' Auld's career NHL record is 74-75-25 with a 2.76 GAA and .905 save percentage. Auld has one year left on his contract at $1 million. In addition, Stars defenseman Mark Fistric signed a three-year contract extension for $3 million Wednesday. Fistric, who was a restricted free agent who made $650,000 last season, will make $750,000 next season, $1 million for 2010-11 and $1.25 million for 2011-12. Fistric, 23, has played 73 career games for the Stars, with no goals and six assists. At 6-2, 232, he is a physical defenseman who can help clear the front of the net. ``He's gone through the proper steps, and he's ready to take the next step,'' Nieuwendyk said. ``I think the playoff run (with Manitoba) did a lot for him.'' Fistric played 22 playoffs game with Manitoba in the spring, scoring two goals and five assists. He helped the Moose to the Calder Cup Finals. The moves give Nieuwendyk 22 players (the maximum NHL roster is 23) at about $46.7 million in cap space (the salary cap is $56.8 million) and about $44.5 million in real money (the budget is somewhere around $45 million). He said this will probably end his work with the free agent market for now. ``There are things we will continue to look at, but I think we're in good shape,'' he said.