This morning an article by Jeremy Rutherford of St. Louis Today kicked off a firestorm of speculation that the Dallas Stars could be looking to trade Brenden Morrow to the St. Louis Blues. The article was referenced in an article here on DBD, as well as on Puck Daddy, Pro Hockey Talk and NHL.com. For good reason, as well, since Rutherford is the equivalent of Mike Heika in St. Louis and generally has good track record when reporting news.
Yet Mike Heika has gotten to the bottom of the situation, as only he can, and according to GM Joe Nieuwendyk the Dallas Stars want Brenden Morrow to be a part of the team this next season.
"We had a good talk the other day, and I told him I very much believe there's a place for him on this team," Nieuwendyk said while vacationing in upstate New York. "I told him I fully expect him to be out there on the power play in front of the net where he's always been."
Nieuwendyk then addressed the question of whether Morrow will be accepting of a third-line role.
"There's nothing written in stone, so I'm not saying he would play there, but I also think that he could play a very important part of our team in a role like that," Nieuwendyk said. "He would bring a lot of the grit that we need there, and I still think would play in a role that would allow him to score some goals. It would also allow him to maybe stay fresher."
Finally, he spoke to Morrow himself about his immediate future with the team.
"You asked me: Do I want to be a Dallas Star, and the answer is definitely yes," Morrow said. "If they want to trade me or they indicate to me that they don't want me, then obviously I don't want to be there or stand in their way. But, until they say that they want to trade me or ask me to waive my no-trade clause, then I'm excited to be on the team and I'm ready to get going next season."
So, there's that. What was it that led to Rutherford believing a trade was being discussed? Perhaps nothing more than the Blues relaying they had interest in the veteran forward, and with speculation about a Morrow trade running wild the past few months, it made sense. The Stars, however, say it was never close to happening.
Time to move on.