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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Nill Leaves Stars’ Cupboard Nearly Bare For Expansion Draft

“Not much there,” a Seattle Kraken source tells The Athletic. Plus, Miro Heiskanen becomes a Star for life, celebrating The Captain’s birthday, and more.

Let’s say it again: The loss of Jason Dickinson stings for Dallas Stars fans. And it helps very little to know that Dickie’s decampment to the Vancouver Canucks was a last-resort move for GM Jim Nill – a trade he only committed to because he was out of forward protection slots and he knew the Seattle Kraken would laser-target the former first-rounder in the expansion draft.

But that move left the NHL’s newest franchise with few options as the clock ticks toward the big event on Wednesday, July 21. The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf goes over the details of how a busy weekend kind of snowballed in his latest post:

The real drama for Dallas came in the 48 hours leading up to the deadline. First, Ben Bishop agreed to waive his no-movement clause, allowing the Stars to protect [Anton] Khudobin. The Russian goaltender had a roller-coaster season but was still set to be a decent option for the Kraken. With him off the table, it became a no-brainer that the Kraken would select forward Jason Dickinson, a versatile bottom-six talent who can play up and down the lineup, as needed.

Hours before the submission deadline, Stars general manager Jim Nill yanked that away from Seattle by making a shrewd trade with Vancouver, netting a third-round draft pick in return for Dickinson instead of losing him for nothing.

“Not much there,” a Kraken source told The Athletic of the Stars players available.

Of course, the Kraken will have to choose a Stars player, because it’s literally the law or something. But there are pros and cons for every potential decision:

Out of the available prospects, Adam Mascherin would be the leader for the Kraken’s consideration after his stellar year in Cedar Park. Other options for Seattle include Nicholas Caamano, Joel L’Esperance or Julius Honka. Again, those are all fine pieces the Stars would be happy to have but none that can’t be immediately replaced....

If Seattle selected Bishop and he returned to full health and his previous form, that would be a big win for them. The new franchise would have an elite goaltender at a decent price. If Bishop got healthy enough to play but wasn’t quite his old self, the Kraken would still have, at least, a good No. 2 option in net and a great leader. If Seattle took Bishop and he never played again, they could place him on long-term injured reserve and utilize his cap hit to upgrade the roster wherever they see fit. LTIR is complicated and has future ramifications but it’s still not a terrible option. Taking Bishop is obviously very risky for the Kraken but again, it all comes down to how little is available from the Stars. Is a 30 percent chance that Bishop works out worth more than a 100 percent guarantee on Mascherin? That’s the question Seattle’s front office will need to answer.

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

Stars Stuff

Miro Heiskanen became a Star for life on Saturday morning – just as he told the team he wanted. Mike Heika has the rest of the story.

With everything going on this week, let us not neglect to wish Jamie Benn the best.

Around The Leagues

From Radek Faksa to Rickard Rakell and from Ben Bishop to Alex Ovechkin, here’s what the Seattle Kraken have to work with, or work around.

Did you ever think you’d see the day when the Montreal Canadiens would leave Carey Price exposed?

While Stars fans are worried about losing Adam Mascherin, Corey Pronman doesn’t even consider him a future full-time NHL’er. Let’s discuss that.

The Stars weren’t the only team making moves ahead of the expansion draft, which is one reason why former No. 2 overall Nolan Patrick is on his way to Sin City. [Pro Hockey Rumors]

In other big news, Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop has become the first player currently on the NHL ladder to come out publicly.

“LGBTQ players, coaches, and staff can only perform at their absolute best if they live their lives as their full and true selves.” Gary Bettman points up the weight of the announcement.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park (And Beautiful Boise)

Lots of organizational love going on between the Texas Stars and the Idaho Steelheads....

Speaking of love – if you consider yourself the world’s biggest Steelheads fans, why not enter the ECHL’s new social contest?

Finally

Shout for this man, and his face.

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