Dallas Stars Daily Links: Jim Nill Holds His Trading Cards Close

The Dallas Stars stood pat at the 2018 NHL trade deadline. GM Jim Nill held his trading cards, even as some Central Division competitors looked to stock up for what they hope will be a deep playoffs run.

However you felt about the lack of movement, you might respect Nill’s stated reasons for it. In an interview with Mark Stepneski, he echoed the same thoughts many fans have expressed about organizational depth and salary-cap flexibility:

Overall, I like where our team is at. If we could have added another experienced player somewhere we might have done it, but the price had to be right. There were just none of those fits. I like our depth in our organization. We have lots of players down in Austin that are knocking on the door. I like where our team is at and unless it was going to be a real type of hockey trade I knew there probably wasn’t going to be a lot going on....

...When you first start talking you don’t know what the prices are, but we started to see that the prices were very high and unless we got some major injury that was going to force us to make a trade, there wasn’t anything major that we were going to be doing.

Nill also confirmed that the lack of action was not due to lack of opportunity – and that picks are important, even if the Stars weren’t hosting the 2018 NHL Draft:

There were lots of calls. This was going on for almost two weeks. We did have a lot of interest in some of our players, some of the players down in Austin -- some of our prospects. But in the end, I like where our team is at. I like where our organization is at. We are getting good depth built up, and we are keeping our draft picks, and that’s not only important for today but for down the road.

Mark has more. [Stars Inside Edge]

He also has a full list of yesterday’s transactions – 18 deals and 37 players deep. [Between the Blue Lines]

The Stars shared some video of Nill talking trades, and their absence.

And Stars digital correspondent Scott Burnside takes a look around as the trade-deadline dust settles.

The Stars did make one move yesterday – and it involved forward Remi Elie.

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More Stars

The regular season doesn’t need a stinking deadline, and the beat goes on as the Stars meet the Calgary Flames in the AAC. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. CST tonight.

Mark posted a brief practice update – Ben Bishop in goal, no word on Martin Hanzal’s status. Watch for his official preview on his timeline (and Taylor’s DBD take later this morning).

In prospect action, Riley Tufte is having a great week, and his University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs an even better one.

Around the League(s)

One Shot, One #Kill

The Colorado Avalanche were the only #MDK team in action last night. They #MDK-ed the Vancouver Canucks at home, 3-1 – and inched up on the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. [NHL]

Trade Deadline For #Death

Paul Stastny centering Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers? It could happen, as the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets make an eyebrow-raising intradivisional trade.

Does this mean the Blues are giving up on their season after a six-game losing streak (and counting)? Maybe not.

The Boston Bruins made one of yesterday’s marquee moves in acquiring Rick Nash from the New York Rangers. Their fans will tell you what they think as soon as they know.

But the real blockbuster belonged to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They swapped Vladislav Namestnikov and two high 2018 picks for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller in a last-minute deal that rocked the league. [Raw Charge]

ESPN polled their roundtable for the winners (Rangers, Jets, Nash, Ken Holland) and losers (Stars, Flyers, Erik Karlsson, Ken Holland).

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

Jason Dickinson is back for another cup of coffee, and maybe a piece of pie as well. He appears to be up in case Hanzal is a no-go for tonight.

Finally

Nobody actually thinks the social media manager makes any decisions that matter, so why do people keep talking at @DallasStars as if Tom Gaglardi himself is live-tweeting the TDL? Glad you got that off your chest, my dude. Enjoy.