Dallas Stars: Recapping A Busy Trade Deadline Week
By Josh Clark
It was fun while it lasted. The Dallas Stars have spent the past week furiously hitting the trade market with deal after deal. Did you happen to miss one? Catch up on all the action here.
At 2 p.m. yesterday, the NHL trade deadline officially hit. For the rest of the regular season and postseason, no trades can be transacted or processed. All trades must now wait until a new Stanley Cup champion is crowned.
And with the threat of an expansion draft and new franchise coming into play over the offseason, many teams took the opportunity to sell hard at this deadline. Some names that were moved include Ben Bishop, Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Burrows, Jarome Iginla, and Valtteri Filppula.
The Dallas Stars were among the teams in the “fire sale” frame of mind. Before Tuesday night, the Stars sat nine points out of the final wild card spot with a record of 24-28-10. With only 20 games remaining in their season and a grueling performance in February, it was already assumed that the Stars would sell.
But did you catch all of the deals that went down? Or do you understand the significance of why each trade was made? There may be some gray areas in your knowledge of one of the Stars’ four deals, so we’re here to help.
Dallas Stars
Here’s a quick recap of all of the deals that went down regarding the Dallas Stars.
Friday: Eaves to the Ducks
Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill started things off on Friday when he traded Patrick Eaves to the Anaheim Ducks. The 32-year-old had been one of the Stars’ most consistent forwards this season, scoring 21 goals and tallying 37 total points. He was a dominant force on the power play and was a valuable net-front presence for Dallas for three years.
In exchange, the Stars received a conditional second-round pick. If the Ducks make the Eastern Conference Finals and Eaves plays in fifty percent of the playoff games, the pick will turn into a first-round selection for Dallas.
All in all, Eaves was one of the Stars’ most valuable pieces. He’s now with a contending team and the Stars were able to get a pick out of it. Dallas may even have a hankering to re-sign him in the offseason after his contract expires, so it wasn’t a massive loss by any means for the Stars.
Monday: Benn to the Canadiens
The most surprising trade made by the Stars during this deadline period was sending Jordie Benn to the Montreal Canadiens.
Not only was Benn’s contract not set to expire until 2019, but he was considered by many to be one of the Stars’ franchise defenders going forward. He was having one of his best seasons in Victory Green this year and had proven to be a consistent light on an otherwise confused and jumbled Stars’ blue line.
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In return, the Stars received young defender Greg Pateryn and a fourth-round pick. Pateryn will be in the lineup against the Islanders tonight and could be an important piece of the Stars’ defensive future. Besides losing a lot of experience, Dallas received a sizable and hopeful return.
Tuesday: Oduya to the Blackhawks
Just moments before the new Dallas Stars took the ice to square off with the Pittsburgh Penguins at home, news broke that the Stars had parted ways with 35-year-old defenseman Johnny Oduya.
With it being the final year of his contract and Oduya pushing 36, the Stars decided to give him back to his former team, thus giving him another chance at the Stanley Cup.
As an exchange, the Stars received prospect forward Mark McNeill and a conditional fourth-round pick. Same as Eaves, if Oduya plays in 50 percent of the games and the Hawks make it to the Western Conference Finals, the pick will change to a third-rounder.
It’s a veteran defenseman lost. But with Oduya’s consistent injuries this year and his contract situation, it was best for the Stars to unload.
Wednesday: Korpikoski to the Blue Jackets
Just moments after the trade deadline ended, Jim Nill made the announcement that the Stars had sent forward Lauri Korpikoski to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for prospect defender Dillon Heatherington.
The move was a quick one and was simply another way for the Stars to shed a pending UFA contract and not lose anything critical in the process.
So now you’re caught up. The Stars did some serious dealing during this deadline, and it’s only to help prepare for the future.
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Not to say that this season is ENTIRELY lost yet (just in case you still have some hope), but the moves the Dallas Stars made will help them in the long run.
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. tonight from the American Airlines Center as the Dallas Stars look to start yet another win streak and search for any signs of playoff hopes.