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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Why The Stars Held Their Fire At The Trade Deadline

Posted on by Kathleen Tibbetts

Another NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Dallas Stars – still in playoff position, mind you – stayed quiet through a hectic Monday of wheeling and dealing.

The rush of landing Mats Zuccarello on Saturday ended all too quickly on Sunday, with the talented forward injured before completing the first 14 minutes of his first game in Victory Green. But the Stars’ GM, a notably cautious man, just wasn’t sold on a stopgap acquisition deal, reports The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks:

“We talked to a lot of teams, but unless it was something that was going to be a perfect fit, we made some pretty big moves the last two days and made prior moves all season,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “You still have to manage your assets and be careful. We were close on a couple things, but in the end, they weren’t going to be the right fit.”

With Denis Gurianov on recall, and Roope Hintz up for the rest of the season, Nill decided not to expend more assets on help at forward:

“You can only spend so much,” Nill said. “You can have a shopping list, but once the credit card gets loaded up, you got to be careful. We paid major prices already for the guys we did [acquire]. You can only do that so much. You got to be careful.”

There’s much more under the paywall. [SportsDayDFW]

Stars Stuff

If you slept in yesterday, the Stars radio guys will get you up to speed.

New York Rangers writer Tom Albano delivers an encomium for Zucc.

And here’s the latest on the break that ended his splendid Stars debut against the Chicago Blackhawks.

TDLsewhere

Eric Duhatschek gives the TDL high grades for entertainment, especially the Winnipeg-Nashville “arms race.” But can one great trade, or even several, really transform a team?

The NHL Network takes a look at the teams that held steady during the swap meet.

Former Stars writer Scott Burnside graded papers for The Athletic, and the Victory Green gang earned a minus for the Mats Zuccarello injury.

CBC Sports has a full recap of the TDL action.

The Vegas Golden Knights landed a big fish in Mark Stone, and I’m just saying this is the sort of welcome that can really set the tone early.

Around The League(s)

In On The #Kill Taker

  • Brian Boyle scored the shootout winner as the Nashville Predators squeaked past the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. [On The Forecheck]
  • The Colorado Avalanche blew a two-goal lead and had to settle for a loser point in a 4-3 OT defeat at the hands (paws?) of the Florida Panthers. [Mile High Hockey]/

That game capped what turned out to be an interesting day for Derick Brassard.

Stats dude Sean Tierney has posted several updated maps for skaters, goalies and teams. Draw your own post-TDL conclusions here.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

Denis Gurianov is back in Big D.

The Texas Stars may miss him sooner rather than later: They just ended their road trip with a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Wolves. [100 Degree Hockey]

Finally

You were thinking it. @100DegreeHockey said it. You’re welcome. Enjoy.

Talking Points