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Last season, the Dallas Stars chose to not make any trades at the trade deadline and ended up missing the Stanley Cup playoffs by a couple points. This year, it seems unlikely that they do the same, and instead will try to trade for a top-six forward:
I think [Stars GM Jim Nill is] juggling a lot of options. I do believe he would add a rental before the trade deadline, because there are good ones out there who fit. I also think that we’re to the point in the building of this team where they definitely need to make the playoffs and possibly even win a round or two.
While Nill is a bit hesitant to trade his first round pick, the Stars have a decent share of prospects who could be shopped instead. They also have some young players, such as Valeri Nichushkin and Julius Honka, who could be shopped instead:
It depends on what the other team wants, but you have plenty of draft picks, plenty of young players on the roster... and plenty of prospects with some amount of upside ... So, in the traditional sense, you have exactly what it takes to get a big-name rental. Now, the question is always what do you give up, and that’s what makes a shrewd negotiator in the NHL.
Mike Heika answers more questions about the upcoming trade deadline and more in his latest mailbag: [NHL]
More Stars News
Hey look, another deadline-themed mailbag!
Stars Mailbag Vol. 42: Deadline feelings, spray paint and what's up with the letters? https://t.co/8hBW2QISuz
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) February 14, 2019
Tyler Seguin has been riding high since the infamous comments by CEO Jim Lites, but is Lites really the reason why Seguin has improved?
After loudly and wrongly (yes, wrongly) criticizing his best players earlier this year, Stars CEO Jim Lites should publicly thank them for saving his team's season. https://t.co/UqqjC21365 | @NHLonNBCSports
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) February 14, 2019
Speaking of Seguin, enjoy:
"Shoot it, baby. Oh, nice play."
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 14, 2019
Enjoy a Mic'd Up @tseguinofficial. pic.twitter.com/CFavLrFYmq
Man, that win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday was nice. Plus, it was a shutout win as well, which is always fun. Gotta love Stars games in Florida that end as a shutout.
On a completely unrelated note, John Klingberg was injured last night. I assume it was in a street hockey game, since the Stars most definitely did not play competitive hockey last night:
John Klingberg did not play the last 13:45 after blocking a shot. Jim Montgomery said he did not get a report on Klingberg postgame, but he did have an x-ray.
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) February 15, 2019
Central Census
It was a busy Valentine’s Day for the Central, as every team except for the Minnesota Wild (and the Dallas Stars) showed up to the rink ready to play NHL hockey:
- The Chicago Blackhawks are suddenly thinking about the playoffs again, with their latest win a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. [Second City Hockey]
- Elsewhere, the Colorado Avalanche got a nice break with their 4-1 win over the division-leading Winnipeg Jets. [NHL]
- The Nashville Predators took advantage of the Jets’ loss to gain some ground in the race for first, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. [On the Forecheck]
- Finally, the St. Louis Blues have now won eight straight after blanking the Arizona Coyotes 4-0. [NHL]
Well this could be better:
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Note: the Minnesota Wild currently hold the second Wild Card spot in the West.
Around the League
Speaking of the standings, the Western Conference playoff picture is crazy:
The latest Trendspotting focuses on the West playoff picture: https://t.co/TwIhUQNLZz
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 15, 2019
I don’t really like these kinds of interview videos, but this made me laugh regardless:
I asked random people if they recognized popular NHL names... lets see which NHL superstars people knew pic.twitter.com/JCsuuYLufI
— Jillian Fisher (@FisherJillian) February 14, 2019
Trade deadline acquisitions typically cost prospects, but do the buyers have prospects worth selling?
From @coreypronman: Which prospects contending teams have to offer before the trade deadline. https://t.co/fbbag7aVG1
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) February 14, 2019
It’s not even March, but is it time to start resting certain goaltenders?
Marc-Andre Fleury has been a horse for the #GoldenKnights so far, his 50 starts sitting four above any other NHL netminder. But should Vegas be resting the veteran more often down the stretch?@RoryBoylen takes a look at the numbers:https://t.co/USqTFxCqnm
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 14, 2019
This would be... interesting?
Word is the Oilers and Flyers are in trade discussions on Cam Talbot. Could be preliminary, but they’re definitely talking.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 14, 2019
Finally...
Is it just me, or is anyone getting a case of déjà vu from Links today? This all feels a bit familiar for some reason...