Hopefully I don’t jinx it, but it looks like the Dallas Stars have a good chance of making the playoffs. However, with the team struggling to score consistently, the team could boost those odds by acquiring a top six forward at the deadline.
Such players aren’t cheap, however, and odds are that when Jim Nill starts shopping around, he’ll get asked about the Stars’ first round pick a lot:
“They’re so valuable,” Nill said. “If you’re doing it, you’re doing it for the right asset. You’re always open to doing anything, any type of trade. But it’s got to be for the right asset.”
Still, if you’re trying to make a deep playoff run, then everything has to be on the table. Not to mention that 1st rounders (obviously) get less valuable the later they are:
According to a study by St. Lawrence University’s Michael Schuckers, the value of a draft pick declines sharply around pick No. 22. In the last 13 seasons, teams that have traded first-round picks during the season had the 23rd pick on average (through the 2018 draft).
You can read more in Matthew DeFranks’ piece here.
Stars Stories
I still feel really good about that win over the Nashville Predators. Here’s Mark Stepneski with some takeaways:
5 things to know: Third-period surge sends Stars past Predshttps://t.co/aeccak4zNG
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) February 3, 2019
Other news from Saturday: the Stars signed one of the top scorers in the OHL this season.
Dallas Stars land high-scoring free-agent prospect Tye Felhaber https://t.co/mZ0pfputlD
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) February 2, 2019
After what feels like forever, solid goaltending is finally back to consistently defend Big D:
Red-hot goalies have Stars fans remembering much fonder times in net https://t.co/eXfLMEa9FE via @NHLdotcom
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) February 4, 2019
The Super Bowl Halftime Show fell short, but at least the Stars didn’t disappoint:
#sweetsweetvictory @tweetgrubes @jeffk_stars @Jonathan_Maniet pic.twitter.com/5ICME9CQLz
— Jason Danby (@jadanby) February 4, 2019
Around the League
You’re familiar with how well top rookies Miro Heiskanen, Rasmus Dahlin, and Elias Pettersson have been doing, but what about the rest of the first-years? [The Hockey News]
Wasn’t Jonathan Cheechoo on a PTO with Dallas one training camp? Either way, great read about the former NHLer:
Jonathan Cheechoo is one of the NHL’s greatest one-hit wonders. My Q&A with the @SanJoseSharks legend from Moose Factory (and yes, we discussed the Cheechoo Train song). https://t.co/3OnUjbXeCg
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 2, 2019
Here’s some fantasy help for you in case you’re starting to freak out a little bit about the impending trade deadline: [Sportsnet]
Speaking of trades, here are a few names to keep an eye on:
Contending clubs that find themselves up against the cap come deadline day will have to look for budget-friendly options if they want to bolster their blueline. @THNJaredClinton looks at who they could target:https://t.co/dCeBTz1Eey
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 3, 2019
Finally…
#HockeyIsForEveryone
NHL to celebrate Black History Month for first time https://t.co/S6UFxCvSSd
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) February 3, 2019