NHL General Managers are already in full swing as the Trade Deadline is weeks away. This time is an exciting few days as rumors swirl about players potentially joining new teams. Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars has decisions to make regarding both the short-term and long-term future of the team. Several players entered the rumor mill about a trade to Dallas. The Stars have few bargaining chips. The Jason Robertson situation is still at play with him being an RFA next season. What do the Stars need right now? Rental players are likely the way to go for Jim Nill as we approach the Olympic Break.
Deadline Day
The Winter Olympic break is approaching, meaning the Stars will have three weeks off for players not traveling to Italy. Waiting for the Trade Deadline is a tactic Jim Nill used before. Trading for Mikko Rantanen on Deadline Day last season lit a fuse that changed this franchise’s trajectory. We may see a trade before deadline day, like last season when Mikael Granlund joined the team on February 1st. Nill probably wants to wait until after the Olympics. Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames ended up on the rumor mill for several teams. The Flames dealt him to Vegas one week ago. Finding suitors for Dallas is a tricky area because the Stars need to address what they actually need.
Stars’ Needs
The Stars have a high probability of qualifying for the playoffs this season. The main goal here is to look for players to make an impact on the playoff roster. Identifying teams as trade targets is another obstacle. Few teams are completely out of the playoff race. Another thing is finding ways the Stars can improve. They are not putting shots on net. The Stars are 30th in the league with 25.3 shots per game. Imagine where they would be if they shot more, increasing their NHL rank of 9th in goals with 176. Being a physical team puts pressure on opponents. The Stars are 26th in the league in hits/60 with 17.74. Their saving grace is being 10th in blocked shots/60 with 15. Any physical presence that can shoot the puck is a big acquisition target. Injuries are impacting the roster this season. Tyler Seguin and Lian Bichsel are currently missing significant time. Thomas Harley and Matt Duchene also missed major portions of this season. The Stars must plan ahead, especially on the defensive core who has a history of missing time.
Trade Rumors
Two teams are all but confirmed to offload players before the Deadline. The New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks will likely start trading away players soon. One rumor swirling around is that of Canucks forward Evander Kane. Kane is a rental player with one year left in his $5.125 million contract. Kane has a history with the Stars as a heavy-hitting power forward. They saw him in the Western Conference Final over the last two years. Kane is a controversial player with a history of off-ice issues. If you remember last year’s Stanley Cup Final, he egregiously slashed Matthew Tkachuk when it became a certainty that the Oilers were losing the series. If the Stars trade for him, this short-term rental could provide the physical push the Stars need, for a low price of middle-range draft picks. Going on the list of pipe dreams is a player who recently entered the rumor mill. Artemi Panarin of the Rangers is in the final year of his contract. He holds a heavy price tag of over $11 million, which the Stars definitely cannot afford. Salary retention will have to play a major role here. The Rangers are looking to reopen their closed window in the future, so the return is a decent price. Panarin is a high-threat player on the ice. He brings a veteran presence only for a short-term rental because the Stars cannot afford any extension for him. The Stars have barely any cap space to afford his contract.
Robertson
Jason Robertson is still without a contract for next season, approaching RFA status. Any moves that Nill makes this Deadline is a short-term rental on an expiring contract. Robertson is a critical part of the future for the Stars. He scored 456 points in 427 games before his 27th birthday. Reaching the 15th-leading scorer in franchise history before age 27 is a remarkable achievement. He is second in points per game of any player to play over 100, trailing Dino Ciccarelli by .01 points/game. Maintaining the team’s future revolves around keeping Jason Robertson, or is it? It’s difficult to even fathom trading Robertson to another team. Signing Robertson in the offseason seems like the probable move.
Other players may enter the rumor mill. The Stars are buyers at the Deadline. Their cap space is limited so rental players are their move. Don’t expect any massive fireworks like Rantanen’s trade last season. Defensemen, particularly right-handed, are worth their weight in gold. Expect the Avalanche to acquire some pieces as well. The Canucks and Rangers are the primary targets for players when Nill begins trading.
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Tags: Artemi Panarin dallas stars Evander Kane Jason Robertson nhl Stanley Cup Playoffs Thomas Harley
Categorized: Stars