Dallas Stars Trade Spree Might Serve As Motivation Going Forward
By Josh Clark
The trade deadline is hours away from ending and the Dallas Stars have already made plenty of splashes. While the news has been depressing, are these the moves that will finally help the Stars shape up?
“Well, it always sucks when you see friends leaving. You create relationships and it’s hard to lose those guys but we just have to move forward now. It sucks.”
Those were the words that Antoine Roussel said to Julie Dobbs following the Dallas Stars’ 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. The quote was in response to the recent flurry of trades that the Stars have committed over the past few days.
On Friday afternoon, the Stars traded veteran RW Patrick Eaves to the Anaheim Ducks for a draft pick. Then Monday came along and the Stars pulled a surprise move by sending veteran D Jordie Benn to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for D Greg Pateryn and a pick. It all came to a pinnacle on Tuesday evening when just before the game, the Stars sent D Johnny Oduya to the Chicago Blackhawks for a prospect and pick.
The moves were rather swift and quick and caught Stars fans off guard, whether it was timing or the players who were dealt. All in all, it’s been an emotionally wrenching five-day period for Dallas Stars fans.
Dallas Stars
But they received a form of retribution on Tuesday night.
Just moments after trading Oduya away, the Stars took the ice, down three regular starters from their original team. Dismayed, unmotivated, and lacking hope, the Stars quickly fell into an 0-2 hole even after seemingly giving it their all through the first 40 minutes.
Entering the third period, there seemed to be absolutely no chance of a comeback occurring. The Penguins were 26-0-0 when entering the third period with a lead, while the Stars were 1-21-2 when entering the third period and trailing. Not to mention this was the defending Stanley Cup champions they were trying to crack down on.
But then something happened. Brett Ritchie spoiled Matt Murray’s shutout and quickly cut the deficit in half. A few minutes later, Jason Spezza scored on a shot that had an awkward ricochet to tie the game. A few seconds after that, Antoine Roussel scored to take the lead for Dallas. Three goals in a span of 6:56 against one of the best teams in the NHL.
They would hold the 3-2 lead to the end of the game. A comeback win against the defending champs with a broken and frayed lineup that has yet to produce anything consistent this season. That’s nothing short of unbelievable.
Perhaps that win had some momentum behind it. Maybe that victory carried some weight behind it. The trade deadline always leaves both fans and players guessing either about what happened or what could have happened.
Maybe this mass of trades that the Stars have encountered has the current players in a new frame of mind. After all, if Jim Nill is going to trade a player like Jordie Benn so unexpectedly, maybe that means that he doesn’t have a filter that he bases things off of. Maybe that means that if he likes the idea of a trade, he’ll go after it.
Maybe this is the fire that the Dallas Stars have needed all along. This could be the motivation that they have severely lacked all season. If they have finally found it, there’s a chance that it is already too late. But that win against Pittsburgh was definitely impressive, and there’s 19 more games to make more of that happen.
Next: Did Stars Make The Right Move By Trading Jordie Benn?
It might be a bit of a stretch to go off of, but it’s clear that the Dallas Stars mean business. This might be the perfect wakeup call for them. This might be just what they needed. Give the Dallas Stars some credit. They did the unimaginable in a highly compromised situation.
It’s going to be a tough ride the rest of the way out, and this win may be nothing more than a fluke. Or it may be the start of a new brand of hockey in Dallas. Either way, it’s going to be an interesting month of March. Maybe this is just the spark that the Dallas Stars need.