Dallas Stars Daily Links: The Stars And The Trade Deadline

Don’t look now, but the NHL trade deadline is just a week away. Is there anything the Dallas Stars can do to amplify that final push for a Stanley Cup playoffs spot?

The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf took stock, and he’s ready to share his notes. His latest article sketches out the Stars’ most and least likely TDL moves, most of them involving the back end:

Stars general manager Jim Nill said on Saturday the Stars would announce an update on [Anton] Khudobin in the coming days, which doesn’t sound promising. Given his performance, injury, contract and overall lack of games played, Khudobin would generate no interest on the market. [Braden] Holtby’s performance and contract could interest a contending team looking for help in the crease (hello, Toronto!) but his recurring injuries despite limited playing time could scare suitors away. Plus, without Khudobin, the Stars can’t afford to deal Holtby and have only one NHL-caliber goaltender....

Despite [Miro] Heiskanen’s uncertain future, the Stars are not likely to make a move on the blue line. Andrej Sekera is on the verge of being available and his return from long-term injured reserve to the active roster would almost max out the Stars’ cap space.

Don’t expect any real movement on the John Klingberg situation, either – it’s still unresolved, for better and otherwise:

Multiple team sources said the Stars haven’t shut the door on dealing Klingberg if an offer “blew them away,” but no such market has materialized. One source added that in a hypothetical situation, in which Klingberg does get dealt, it would have to be for a package that wasn’t exclusively future assets, such as draft picks and/or prospects. The Stars are adamant about competing this season, so a Klingberg deal would have to bring back a player who could slide into the lineup for Dallas immediately. Right-handed defensemen, particularly those of top-four caliber, are rare commodities, so no such deal has presented itself....

In asking multiple team and league sources about what the most likely conclusion is to the Klingberg situation, the overarching feel was that Klingberg would play out this season in Dallas and entertain a true bidding war, the first of his career, in the summer. Klingberg has been frustrated with how the Stars have handled his situation but it hasn’t soured to the point where he’s shut the door on Dallas.

There’s more behind the paywall. [The Athletic DFW]

Stars Stuff

The Stars were good against the New York Rangers, until they weren’t. Mike Heika has a few thoughts about Saturday’s game.

Matthew DeFranks has a hefty mailbag post ready to read, if you’re a Dallas Morning News member.

Around The Leagues

#Death Notes

• Breaking news: The Colorado Avalanche win at home! This time, they blanked the Calgary Flames, 3-0. [Mile High Hockey]
• In Central-on-Central violence, the Winnipeg Jets took one away from the St. Louis Blues in overtime, 4-3. [Arctic Ice Hockey]
• And two apples apiece for Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg helped the Nashville Predators dump a bucket of goals on the Minnesota Wild, 6-2. [On The Forecheck]

With a cast of characters ranging from William Nylander to Jason Spezza, the Heritage Classic had a little something for everyone.

Need a TDL score card?

Speaking of which...Braden Holtby is one of Mike Stephens’ top five targets for teams who need to shore up their netminding.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

The Texas Stars want to make the Calder Cup playoffs, and this weekend was a pretty good contribution.

Finally

These guys are the real deal – and we should probably also thank Rich Peverley, who helps make sure every rink has an AED handy. Enjoy.