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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Stars Acquire Kris Russell; Fall to Red Wings in OT

Posted on by Melissa Flandreau

The Stars lost 3-2 in overtime to the Red Wings last night in their first game of a back-to-back, but the day’s action got underway long before the puck dropped. After acquiring defenseman Kris Russell from the Flames in exchange for Jyrki Jokipakka, Brett Pollock, and a conditional second-round pick, GM Jim Nill spoke with The Ticket about the trade.

On why fans should be excited about Kris Russell
“Well, first of all, he’s got experience. He’s a veteran, experienced player, he can play high minutes. I believe last year in the playoffs he was playing 27 to 29 minutes in the playoff games, which is high, high minutes. And he plays hard, he’s a little bit of a ball of hate, he’s a great shot blocker. He’ll be a good penalty killer and he really gives us some live experienced guys as we head into the playoffs, which you need as you go ahead.”

Nill also drew comparisons between former Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas and Russell.

On Russell being compared to Stephane Robidas
“That’s probably a very good comp, a very good comparison, probably a little bit skater than Stephane was, but plays the same type of game. He’s a little bit of a pit bull. He’s from Western Canada, so he’s got a little Texas and he’s got that farmboy mentality and he’s in guys’ faces. He is one of the premiere shot blockers in the game and he’s going to help our penalty killing that way, so he brings a lot of different intangibles and I believe he was assistant captain on the team in Calgary, so it’s all positive for us moving forward.”

There’s plenty more from Nill on letting Jokipakka go and keeping Lindy Ruff in the loop at the link. [SportsDayDFW]

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Despite a late third-period goal from Vernon Fiddler to force overtime, the Stars dropped a 3-2 decision to the Red Wings. That gives the team a 1-4-2 record in their past seven games. [SportsDayDFW]

But hey, the Stars have a chance to turn things around when they take on the Predators tonight at 7 p.m. According to Mike Heika, newly minted Star Kris Russell is questionable for the game.

Speaking of Russell, TSN’s Scott Cullen also analyzed the trade and ruled it a “home run” for the Flames. Not so much for the Stars. [TSN]

Over at Today’s Slapshot, Shane O’Donnell also broke down the Russell trade and what the move could mean for the Stars going forward. [Today’s Slapshot]

The Stars also attempted to strike a deal with the Canucks for Dan Hamhuis.

If you’re bored without potential trades to keep you occupied, you should spend some time listening to the latest Stars Sunday while waiting for tonight’s game.

You can catch up on yesterday’s trades with NHL.com’s handy Trade Tracker. [NHL]

Sean McIndoe named the winners and losers based on the moves that went down this weekend. [Sportsnet]

Along with holding onto Loui Eriksson, the Bruins acquired Lee Stempniak from the Devils and John-Michael Liles from the Hurricanes. [Puck Daddy]

Zac Rinaldo will have a hearing today after this hit on Cedric Paquette.

There are a few new faces wearing Ducks uniforms, including Brandon Pirri, who the team acquired from the Panthers for a 2016 sixth round pick. Anaheim Calling breaks down the Ducks’ deadline moves. [AC]

The Panthers stayed busy at the trade deadline, but how much did bringing on board Teddy Purcell, Jiri Hudler, and Jakub Kindl help the Cats? [Puck Daddy]

Five for Howling walks us through the trade that sent Mikkel Boedker to the Avalanche in exchange for Alex Tanguay. [FFH]

The Blue Jackets inked Boone Jenner to a contract extension.

Senators forward Kyle Turris is out indefinitely with an ankle sprain. [Sportsnet]

Eric Lindros talks about concussions, the fear of having CTE, and what he’s doing to change the conversation. [New York Daily News]

And finally, here’s Kris Russell talking about his trade to Dallas. Mike Heika also has a handy transcript here.

Talking Points