For the first time ever, Dallas Stars fans can say the Stars are on a 10-game winning streak. January 22nd’s 1-0 shutout at Columbus is currently the most recent loss for the Stars. The calendars have now turned to March, with a busy week ahead. There are no more games until the Trade Deadline. What is the right move for the Stars? Major trade, small trade, or standing pat are some of the options provided via roster moves. Trade Deadline rumors are heating up alongside this potent Stars team on a generational winning streak.
The Streak
The Stars have played 4,560 regular-season games in franchise history, dating back to 1967. Never have they won 10 games in a row until now. They are performing exceptionally well, especially the Benn-Steel-Duchene line. Their last loss came at the hands of a 1-0 shutout from the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 22nd. Their next game is on Friday after the Trade Deadline passes. The 2nd-best team in the NHL must go through the best to extend the win streak to 11 in a clash of the titans. Mikko Rantanen is not expected to play in this game, with other Stars players sitting out as well, leaving cap space open.
Preparing for the Deadline
Tyler Seguin will officially miss the remainder of the season. He is now placed on season-ending LTIR, freeing up $9.85 million in cap space for the rest of this year. Ever since the offseason, rumors have sparked and stalled about a Jason Robertson trade. His contract ends after this year, entering RFA status. Odds of Robertson leaving at the Trade Deadline are almost zero. The Stars are buyers looking to bring players in, not trade them away. It’s final decision time for a difficult situation regarding the ability to re-sign Robertson around salary cap restrictions. Another decision Jim Nill will make is whether to become conservative buyers or go all-in at the deadline.
Decisions
Jim Nill will have a hair north of $7 million to work with at the deadline after burying Seguin’s cap hit on LTIR. Rental players are likely the avenue of direction this team will head in the approximately 48 hours before the deadline. Many teams are looking to offload some players for prospects and draft picks. The Stars do not have a 1st round pick in the upcoming draft to trade. Players keep swirling in the rumor mill like Rasmus Ristolainen and Nazem Kadri. Jason Robertson for Brady Tkachuk rumors are even going around, but these are just rumors. Nill plays these things close to the chest. He is one of, if not the best, executives in the NHL. Any decision he makes will have fans trusting his moves, no matter what.
One option is to do nothing. This is already one of the best teams in franchise history. They are on a franchise-record 10-game winning streak, looking for 11 on Friday. Robertson is likely staying, crossing the bridge of a contract extension in the offseason. The caliber of the Stars is that of an S-tier team with only one goal in mind. Anything short of winning the Stanley Cup this season is considered a failure. Making it to the Stanley Cup Final is the bottom line goal this team should set out for. Any moves at the Trade Deadline should work towards that objective.
Dallas Stars Nation Blogger. You can time how fast I skate with a calendar. Lifetime GAA about 12.50.
Tags: dallas stars Jason Robertson Matt Duchene Mikko Rantanen Nazem Kadri nhl Stanley Cup Final
Categorized:Stars