Dallas Stars Trade Connor Carrick, Third-Round Pick For Ben Lovejoy

The Dallas Stars got their trade deadline dealing underway on Saturday morning, sending defenseman Connor Carrick and a third-round pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Ben Lovejoy.

The 2019 NHL Trade Deadline has seen some significant movement over the past 24 hours. On Saturday morning, the Dallas Stars got involved in the dealing.

It was announced early on Saturday that the Stars had traded defenseman Connor Carrick and a 2019 third-round pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Ben Lovejoy. So, while the focus seems to be offense-first for the Stars at this year’s deadline, this move is for defensive purposes.

“Ben is a top-end penalty killing defenseman and he brings a good mix of both physicality and mobility to our backend,” said GM Jim Nill in the official press release. “Getting an experienced, battle-tested player who has a track record of performing in meaningful late-season games is important for our group, and we feel that he will help balance our blueline.”

The Stars initially traded a seventh-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Connor Carrick just days before the 2018-19 season kicked off.

Carrick, 24, made a quick impact on the Dallas blue line, tallying two assists on opening night and scoring a goal in his fourth start with the team. But after one goal and four points through nine games, Carrick was put on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

He missed two months of play and, upon returning on Dec. 31, never found a way to reestablish his spot in the lineup. He’s only dressed for five games since New Year’s Eve, and only played more than seven eight minutes on one occasion. His last start with the Stars came against the Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday, where he only had two shifts and finished with an ice time of 1:33.

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Carrick was on the final year of his current contract and was set to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2019. Considering the Stars’ usage of him post-injury, it didn’t seem as though he was a part of their long-term defensive plans. As a result, they found a trade.

Meanwhile, Lovejoy is bringing a veteran presence to a young Dallas Stars blue line. And while he’s not necessarily a major impact player for the blue line, he fills a void and helps the team become more stable in the defensive zone.

Lovejoy, 35, has paved an extensive career in the NHL, playing in 524 games for three different organizations across 11 years. In that time, he’s recorded 20 goals and 99 points as well as a +53 plus/minus rating.

The veteran defender is known for being mobile in the zone and using his big frame (6-1, 205 lb.) when needed. He’s good at moving the puck and possesses good overall awareness when on the ice.

One of Lovejoy’s biggest strengths, however, lies within his experience. Through 11 seasons at the NHL level, the 35-year-old has been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs seven different times. In 2016, he played in all 24 of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ postseason contests as the team went on to win the Stanley Cup.

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For a team that needs all the help that they can get in terms of a push to the postseason, Lovejoy helps fill that void. Of the seven defenders currently on the Stars’ roster right now, only two (John Klingberg and Roman Polak) have competed in a playoff game. Lovejoy adds to that experience.

In addition, he will be an unrestricted free agent in the upcoming offseason, so he’s not necessarily a long-term asset.

The trade gave the Dallas Stars an opportunity to part ways with certain pieces that weren’t included in their future plans in exchange for a defenseman that should help the “win now” cause and give the Dallas defense more stability, especially in terms of experience and any potential injuries that might occur down the stretch.

It’s not a deal that significantly alters the Stars in terms of talent, but it brings certain intangibles to the locker room.