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Trade Deadline Primer: Dallas Stars

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now just a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Dallas Stars.

Things have gone mostly according to plan for the Stars this season.  They’re among the top-scoring teams in the NHL and have been in a battle for the top spot in the Central Division for the majority of the season.  However, they’ve been a bit shakier on the defensive side of things so if GM Jim Nill is able to add to his roster, the back end could very well be the area he tries to shore up in the coming weeks.  However, with very limited cap space, they may be limited in what they’re able to accomplish on the trade front.

Record

31-14-6, 1st in the Central

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$1.924MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: DAL 1st, DAL 2nd, DAL 5th, DAL 7th
2025: DAL 1st, DAL 3rd*, DAL 5th, NJ 5th DAL 6th, DAL 7th

*-If Nils Lundkvist gets 55 total points between 2022-23 and 2023-24, the Rangers would get this pick instead of Dallas’ 2025 fourth-rounder.  Lundkvist has 30 points in a Dallas uniform heading into tonight’s action so this condition is unlikely to be met but the pick will be encumbered for trade purposes.

Trade Chips

As a team that won’t be intent on moving impactful pieces off its roster, Dallas will undoubtedly be fielding inquiries about Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque.  They are the top two scorers in the AHL but have yet to see NHL action so far given the depth that the Stars have up front.  If it’s only a depth move that they’re able to make, these two won’t be in play but if Nill wants to make a significant upgrade, one of these two could help yield Dallas a strong roster player.

If Dallas does look to make a move to add a piece on the back end, Lundkvist could also be someone who generates some interest.  The 23-year-old has basically been limited to full-time third-pairing duty at even strength while seeing some secondary power play time.  Accordingly, the points weren’t exactly piling up as the Stars hoped when they traded for him in 2022.  That said, Lundkvist is still on his entry-level deal and he’d likely be of interest to quite a few rebuilding teams although his $925K cap hit doesn’t help much when it comes to matching money.  It’s unlikely Nill would move him for a rental player but if they could get an impact blueliner with some salary retention signed beyond this season, Lundkvist could conceivably be part of the package heading the other way.

In terms of other depth players who could go to help match money in a trade, Craig Smith and Sam Steel come to mind.  Both forwards (who are pending free agents) have fared relatively well on the fourth line but could slip out of the lineup should an upgrade be acquired.  Smith makes a bit more at $1MM while Steel is a little cheaper ($850K) but has one more year of team control though it comes with arbitration eligibility.  Neither player has much trade value directly but as pieces to help make the finances work, they’re candidates to be moved.

If they look to bring in someone with a bigger contract, the money-matcher going the other way could very well be Radek Faksa.  The 30-year-old is a strong defensive player but his offense simply hasn’t come around.  At $3.25MM through next season, he might be a luxury they can no longer afford if they add a bigger-ticket player.

One prospect who isn’t quite at Bourque and Stankoven’s level offensively in the minors but should draw some interest is Matej Blumel.  The 23-year-old is coming to the end of his entry-level deal and has 77 points in 99 career AHL games with Texas.  He also has six games of NHL experience under his belt.  Blumel will still have another year of waiver exemption after this one, giving him some extra value in a move.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Oskar Back, F Nicholas Caamano, F Riley Damiani

Team Needs

1) Defensive Upgrade: There’s a definite gap between Dallas’ top three defensemen and the rest.  Getting a proven second-pairing option would certainly give that unit a boost while also hedging against injuries.  If the player happens to be a right-handed shot, that would be even more beneficial although, as always, impact right-defenders are in short supply and high demand.  If they can’t land a top-four player, adding some extra depth to hedge against injuries would be beneficial and affordable in their cap structure.

2) Experienced Third Goaltender: When Jake Oettinger missed time earlier this season, they leaned heavily on Scott Wedgewood with third-string option Matt Murray having very limited NHL experience.  If Dallas isn’t comfortable using Murray at this point, it would be worth trying to find a veteran third option, one who could be stashed in the minors and come up if one of Oettinger or Wedgewood go down.  This is the type of move where one of their AHL skaters could be on the move as the return for that insurance policy between the pipes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Updates: Miromanov, Senators, Killorn, Bedard, Raanta

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The Golden Knights welcomed back one of their blueliners for their game tonight versus Arizona as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated Daniil Miromanov from injured reserve.  The 26-year-old had yet to play with Vegas this season as he worked his way back from ACL and meniscus surgery in the summer.  He got into five games with AHL Henderson last month on a conditioning stint and fared quite well, notching a goal and five assists before being recalled a couple of weeks ago.  However, Vegas opted to play it safe with Miromanov, allowing him more time to skate with the team before officially having him suit up for his season debut with the big club.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • The Senators are expected to welcome back goaltender Anton Forsberg and defenseman Travis Hamonic for their next game on Saturday, relays Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan (Twitter link). Forsberg is currently on LTIR and Ottawa will need to make some roster moves to get cap-compliant before activating him.  The 31-year-old has a save percentage of .889 in 16 games so far this season.  Meanwhile, Hamonic has missed the last couple of weeks due to an upper-body injury but has remained on Ottawa’s active roster so no roster move is necessary for him to return.  The 33-year-old has five points and 69 blocked shots in 40 appearances.
  • Ducks winger Alex Killorn skated before practice today as he works his way back from knee surgery, relays Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune (Twitter link). The 34-year-old had the procedure two weeks ago and it carried a four-to-six-week recovery period.  While he didn’t stick around for Anaheim’s full practice, the fact Killorn is back on the ice is a promising sign that his return date could come closer to the earlier part of that range.  He has 19 points in 34 games so far this season, his first with the Ducks.
  • While Connor Bedard has been holding out hope that he could return earlier than expected, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson poured cold water on that idea today. He told reporters, including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link) that the rookie center’s return is unlikely to come before the original six-week mark.  Despite missing more than a month now, Bedard still leads all rookies in points with 33 in just 39 games.
  • After coming into tonight’s game in relief of Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta suffered a lower-body injury, per a team announcement (Twitter link). Raanta made nine saves in his lone period of work.  It has been a rough year for the 34-year-old who had a save percentage of just .870 coming into tonight’s action and cleared waivers back in December.

Oilers Targeting Top-Six Forward Help

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Goaltending has been the central theme for trade speculation around the Oilers this season after their netminders got off to particularly rough starts.  However, things have settled down nicely since then with Stuart Skinner’s play improving considerably since their early-season coaching change and Calvin Pickard faring quite nicely in the backup role.

It appears that their performances have taken off some of the pressure of seeking another netminder.  Instead, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment that GM Ken Holland has turned his focus toward adding a top-six forward.  More specifically, the goal would be to find someone better suited to play alongside Leon Draisaitl on the second line.

Speculatively, they may be looking to replace Warren Foegele on that trio.  The 27-year-old is well on his way toward having a career year offensively (he’s just four points away from matching his previous career high) but he’s a player who has spent most of his career in the bottom six.  Getting him back in that role would certainly deepen Edmonton’s lineup.

LeBrun mentioned a handful of players as possible targets, several of which will be dependent on how their current teams fare in their playoff push in the coming weeks.  The Oilers are quite familiar with Jordan Eberle; LeBrun suggests that the idea of bringing him back to Edmonton has grown in the front office recently.  Ottawa’s Vladimir Tarasenko (who has full trade protection) and Detroit’s Daniel Sprong and David Perron were also floated as possible targets if those respective teams sell by next month’s deadline.  All four players are on expiring contracts and with Edmonton’s long-term cap situation, it would make sense for them to be focusing on rental players if they do try to make a key addition up front.

However, cap space is somewhat limited for the Oilers at the moment.  Even with their current 21-man roster, Edmonton projects to have a little over $2.3MM in cap space at the trade deadline, per CapFriendly.  An injury or two would eat most of that flexibility up.  Sprong is the only one out of that group whose salary would fit into their existing space, even if there was the maximum 50% retention on the other three.

Accordingly, Edmonton may need to send out a roster player to help fit in any top-six acquisition on its salary cap.  Foegele, on an expiring deal himself, could very well be an option as could one of Brett Kulak or Cody Ceci, defensemen who are signed beyond this season (two more years for Kulak, one for Ceci); moving one of them would also open up a spot for Philip Broberg to return to the big club.

For a team with the top-end firepower that the Oilers have, they’re not even in the top ten in NHL scoring, sitting 12th in that regard heading into Thursday’s action.  Meanwhile, only two teams have allowed fewer goals than Edmonton has.  Accordingly, if they believe the structural and goaltending improvements are sustainable, looking to add some more offense may very well be the right approach for Holland to take over the next few weeks.

Capitals Looking To Move Joel Edmundson

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The Capitals have been carrying eight blueliners for a while now since they added Ethan Bear in late December and it appears they’re intent on clearing that logjam.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 32 Thoughts column that they’re looking to move blueliner Joel Edmundson prior to next month’s trade deadline.

The 30-year-old is in his first season with Washington after being acquired from Montreal just minutes before free agency opened up back in July.  However, injuries have limited Edmundson to 32 games so far and when he has been in the lineup, his playing time has been considerably lower than usual.  He’s averaging 16:08 per night, down nearly three and a half minutes from a year ago.  While he has never been a big point producer, Edmundson has just three points so far while also recording 41 blocked shots.

Edmundson is in the final season of a four-year, $14MM contract he signed with the Canadiens back in 2020.  However, Washington is only responsible for half of his $3.5MM AAV with Montreal retaining the other half as part of the trade which saw the Caps part with a third-round pick and a seventh-rounder for his services.

Edmundson has 75 career playoff appearances under his belt including a pair of runs to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 with St. Louis and 2021 with Montreal.  Between that and a relatively low cap charge, there should be some teams that have interest in a player who could aid their third pairing or at least add some depth for a potential playoff push.  Whether GM Brian MacLellan can get a return that matches or beats the one he gave up in the summer remains to be seen but they should be able to get something for his services and clear up the backlog on their back end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Sergachev, Cizikas, Karlsson, Svoboda

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Earlier today, the Lightning activated Mikhail Sergachev off LTIR, adding a key defenseman back into their lineup.  However, the return was short-lived as the team announced (Twitter link) that the blueliner suffered a lower-body injury, ending his return game prematurely.  The 25-year-old was injured in the second period in a collision with Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere.  Sergachev, who was coming back from a left leg injury, looked to suffer another injury to that same leg on the play and was stretchered off the ice.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Islanders center Casey Cizikas has been upgraded to a game-time decision for Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay, notes NHL.com’s Stefen Rosner. The 32-year-old has missed the past 10 games because of a lower-body injury, landing him on LTIR in the process.  New York will have to make some roster moves to get cap-compliant before they can bring Cizikas onto the active roster.  Cizikas has 11 points in 39 games so far this season.
  • Linus Karlsson’s frequent roster shuffling continues as today, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that the center has been returned to AHL Abbotsford. It’s the fourth re-assignment to the minors in a little over three weeks, even with the All-Star break.  Karlsson has played in four games with Vancouver so far while often being recalled to serve as the emergency option should a forward become unavailable close to game time.  Meanwhile, in the minors, the 24-year-old has 27 points in 30 games.
  • Sharks prospect Brandon Svoboda is on the move as USHL Fargo announced that they acquired the center from Youngstown. San Jose picked the 19-year-old in the third round last June but his production has been limited this year with just 11 points in 25 games so far.  Svoboda is committed to Boston University for next season and will be looking to finish up his USHL career on a high note as he’s joining the league-leading Force.

Pat Maroon Undergoes Back Surgery

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Earlier this week, the Wild placed winger Pat Maroon on injured reserve.  We now know how long he’ll be out of the lineup as the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran underwent successful back surgery on Tuesday and is set to miss the next four to six weeks.

The 35-year-old is in his first season with Minnesota after the Wild acquired him back in July for a seventh-round pick.  The change of scenery has certainly helped Maroon’s offensive game as he had 16 points in 49 games before the injury after putting up just 14 in 80 contests last season.  Of course, Maroon is also known for his physicality – he led the NHL in penalty minutes in 2022-23 – and while his hit total is down considerably, he’s averaging more than a hit and penalty minute per game.

A three-time Stanley Cup winner, Maroon has 150 career NHL playoff appearances under his belt.  That, coupled with a low-cost contract (Minnesota is only responsible for $800K of his $1MM contract), makes him an interesting depth addition for teams should Minnesota not get back into the playoff picture.  To that end, Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that Maroon should start skating again in a few weeks so while he might not be completely cleared to return by the March 8th deadline, he should be far enough along in his recovery that interested teams shouldn’t be scared off by the injury.

East Notes: Jeannot, Grzelcyk, Svechnikov

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To make room for the activation of Mikhail Sergachev from LTIR earlier today, the Lightning quietly placed winger Tanner Jeannot on LTIR, reports Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider (Twitter link).  The 26-year-old has missed more than a month already with his lower-body injury so this placement is simply procedural but it allows them to avoid any salary cap-related transactions for a little longer.  However, Jeannot is expected to be activated at some point on their current road trip so the roster will need to be trimmed down soon enough.  Jeannot has a dozen points in 41 games in his first full season with Tampa Bay after being acquired from Nashville before last year’s trade deadline.

More from the Eastern Conference

  • Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston examines the Bruins’ trade options, or, more specifically, the lack thereof. With them missing several draft picks and a thinned-out prospect pool as a result of their consistent win-now approach, GM Don Sweeney may exercise some caution before moving any of what he has left out.  Meanwhile, with cap space at a premium, they might be in a spot where they would have to move out a contract to make a move; Goss pegs blueliner Matt Grzelcyk as a potential candidate to be moved.  The pending UFA has a $3.6875MM cap charge which would give Sweeney some flexibility to take a player back if he opts to add to his roster in the next month.
  • Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury but it seems as if he’s close to a return. Team reporter Walt Ruff relays (Twitter link) head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s comments today which noted that Svechnikov is simply waiting until he feels 100% before returning to the lineup.  The bench boss feels that Svechnikov’s return should be just around the corner, meaning he could be a possibility to play against Colorado on Thursday.  The 23-year-old has been limited to just 29 games so far this season due to injuries but certainly has been productive, notching 11 goals and 19 assists.

Matthew Poitras Out For The Season

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Matthew Poitras was one of the bright spots for the Bruins this season, earning a roster spot in training camp and largely playing a regular role since then.  However, his rookie year has come to an early end as the team announced that Poitras has undergone a successful right shoulder open stabilization.  That procedure carries a five-month recovery time, ending his season.  GM Don Sweeney released the following statement on the procedure:

Our medical staff made the recommendation for Matt to proceed with the surgery rather than continue playing with an unstable shoulder and risking further damage. Everyone involved supported the decision as to do what was best for him at this time. Matt is just starting his Bruins career and is a key part of our future.

The 2022 second-round pick had a strong preseason showing to help him break camp with the big club in October and he didn’t look back.  Poitras had five goals and ten assists in 33 games while averaging over 13 minutes a night, a strong first taste of NHL action.  Boston opted to loan him to play for Canada at the World Juniors back in December and he has some success offensively in that event, recording two goals and two helpers in five contests.  Upon returning, his playing time had been more sporadic with this shoulder injury clearly being the reason for that.

Boston is currently using LTIR and will likely be placing Poitras on there in the near future, giving the team a little extra salary cap flexibility.  However, with Poitras on his entry-level contract, the potential cap savings will be limited as his AAV is just $870K with most of that likely being earmarked for whoever the Bruins elect to recall to take his spot on the roster.  Speculatively, Patrick Brown, who has been back and forth several times this season, could be brought up to serve in the reserve forward role while it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sweeney look for some extra depth down the middle before next month’s trade deadline.

While Poitras officially burned the first year of his contract early in the season, the surgery will prevent him from hitting the 40-game benchmark which would have allowed him to accrue a year of service time toward UFA eligibility.  Instead, he won’t be eligible to hit the open market until he turns 27 in 2031.

Brenden Dillon Receives Three-Game Suspension

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After conducting a phone hearing with Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon earlier today, the Department of Player Safety has issued its ruling, handing the blueliner a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head.  The incident occurred early in the second period of last night’s game against Pittsburgh’s Noel Acciari, a match penalty was assessed on the play.  Acciari left the game and did not return; there is no word yet on the severity of his injury.

In the Department’s video ruling, they indicated that Dillon’s hit satisfied both ends of the criteria in Rule 48 for an illegal check to the head.  The principal point of contact was the head while the hit itself was avoidable, leading to the suspension.

It’s the second suspension of Dillon’s career as he received a one-game ban back in 2017 for slashing.

As a result of the suspension, Dillon will be out of Winnipeg’s lineup until February 17th when they take on Vancouver.  He will forfeit just under $61K in salary which instead will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Avalanche Assign Ivan Prosvetov To AHL

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Feb. 4: Prosvetov cleared waivers Sunday and can be assigned to AHL Colorado, per Friedman. The Avalanche executed the reassignment shortly after he cleared, a team announcement states.

Feb. 3: The league is largely shut down this weekend for the All-Star break but waiver activity continues.  Today, the Avalanche placed goaltender Ivan Prosvetov on waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).

Colorado claimed the 24-year-old off waivers from Arizona in training camp with backup Pavel Francouz dealing with a groin injury.  With Francouz since being ruled out for the season, Prosvetov has become the full-time backup for the Avs this season.  However, his performance has been inconsistent as he has played to a 3.16 GAA and a .895 SV% in 11 appearances so far.  The end result has been starter Alexandar Georgiev leading the league in appearances by a goaltender at the break, hardly an ideal situation for someone whose career high in games played heading into last season was 34.

Prosvetov’s placement suggests that a change on that front is coming.  Barring a trade on the horizon, the change should be in the form of prospect Justus Annunen.  The 23-year-old has spent most of the year with AHL Colorado, posting a 2.65 GAA and a .908 SV% in 23 games while also making one start for the Avs.  Annunen only has five career appearances at the top level under his belt but he is in his final season of waiver exemption so he’ll now get his chance to prove he’s worthy of the full-time second-string role.  Otherwise, GM Chris MacFarland will have no choice but to turn to the trade market.

With goalie depth hard to come by, it wouldn’t be shocking to see someone claim Prosvetov on Sunday.  If that team is the Coyotes and they’re the only team to do so, Arizona would then be able to send him to AHL Tucson.  If the Coyotes aren’t the only team to put in a claim, they’d then be forced to re-waive him or keep him on the NHL roster.

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