Oct 11, 2013; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Dallas Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen (32) makes a save as Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane (9) looks for a rebound during the first period at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Fred Greenslade-USA TODAY Sports
As soon as former Jets forward Evander Kane’s name appeared on the trade front many fans around the NHL linked the Dallas Stars as a possible trade destination. The Stars have a good young core of players that Kane might be able to mesh with and they have a knack for straightening out troubled young superstars. The way in which Jim Nill and Lindy Ruff put Tyler Seguin on the right track was thought of as ideal for Kane. Kane was eventually shipped out alongside Zach Bogosian to Buffalo for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Brendan Lemieux, Joel Armia, and a 2015 1st round draft pick.
Hypothetically speaking, if the Dallas Stars completed this same type of trade who would be involved?
Tyler Myers
-Myers is a large, minute munching, right handed defenceman. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2009 by posting 11 goals and 37 assists for 48 points and a +13 rating. The Sabres had extremely high hopes for this young defenceman and rewarded him with a 7-year 38.5 million dollar contract. He was projected to be the number one defenceman in Buffalo for a long time.
Dallas Stars Comparable: John Klingberg
-There really is no other defenceman in the Dallas Stars system that remotely compares to Myers other than John Klingberg. In Klingberg’s rookie season he currently has 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points and a +10 rating. He is a large, right handed defenceman with great offensive abilities. His current numbers, in only 40 games thus far, compare to Myers’ rookie season numbers. He is projected to be the Stars number one defenceman for years to come and is likely to ink a contract comparable to Myers’ one day.
Drew Stafford
-Stafford is 29-year old right winger who has shown brilliance as a sniper when paired with a playmaking centre. He scored 31 goals and 52 points with the Sabres in 2010, and has hit the 20-goal marker two other times in his career. He is listed at 6-foot- 2, 214 pounds making him a big body all over over the ice.
Dallas Stars Comparable: Erik Cole
-Although Erik Cole is 36 years old he compares nicely to the younger Stafford. Cole is listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and has had a knack for putting the puck in the net over his 15 year career. Cole has scored 30 goals twice in his career and notched 20 goals in three separate seasons. Cole currently has better numbers than Stafford with 15 goals and 11 assists with a +4 rating this season. Cole and Stafford are both in the last year of their contract that are due to pay each 4 million.
Not much is known about the two prospects the Jets received but we’ll do our best to break them down from the limited information available.
Joel Armia
– Armia is a 6-foot-3, 187 pound right winger from Finland. Scouts rave about Armia’s combination of size and goal-scoring ability. He has the soft hands needed to score goals in the NHL while also displaying a large frame that will fill out as he continues to mature. He will slot in as the best right-wing prospect the Jets have going forward.
Dallas Stars Comparable: Curtis McKenzie
-The Dallas Stars also feature a big scoring winger that has a nice combination of size and skill. Curtis Mckenzie won the rookie of the year award last season in the AHL by registering 27 goals and 38 assists. Mckenzie is listed at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds and is likely a little further ahead in development than Armia. Both wingers feature very comparable attributes and a bright future in the NHL.
Brendan Lemieux
-Lemieux is a 6-foot-1, 210 pound gritty left winger that was taken with the first pick in the second round at the 2014 entry draft. He is only 18 years old and is yet to turn pro. He is the son of former agitator Claude Lemieux. In the OHL this season, Lemieux has put up 36 goals and 120 penalty minutes in 47 games played for the Barrie Colts. He is a very raw talent that may make the NHL in the same fashion his father did.
Dallas Stars Comparable: Branden Troock
-It was fairly tough to find a Dallas Star comparable to Brenden Lemieux. The closest we could find was 20 year-old right winger Branden Troock who is listed at 6-foot-4, 201 pounds. In the 2013 season Troock had 70 penalty minutes while scoring 24 goals and 34 assists in 58 games for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Troock and Lemieux both appear to be gritty forwards who have the ability to put the puck in the net. The most likely path to the NHL for these two prospects will be through their grit and toughness.
2015 First Round Pick
-This pick that Winnipeg is receiving will be from either St.Louis or the New York Islanders depending on how each team finishes in the standings. Nevertheless, it is likely to be a late first round draft pick.
Dallas Stars Comparable: 2016 First Round Pick
-With the Dallas Stars teetering on the brink of the playoffs, their 2015 first round pick could potentially become a top ten pick if they were to go on a lengthy losing streak to end the season. Therefore, I see their 2016 first round pick as a more comparable pick. In 2016 the Dallas Stars will hope to avoid the early season struggles they had this season and potentially challenge for a top-3 divisional seed. If this was to happen, the Dallas Stars would have a more comparable draft position to the St. Louis Blues or New York Islanders this season.
This is just a hypothetical situation where the Dallas Stars were to match the players in the deal that Buffalo sent to Winnipeg for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian. This is not to say Jim Nill was pondering trading any of these players or even that he had any interest regarding Bogosian and Kane. But for now it is interesting to see who some comparable players would be in an identical deal.
So, here it is:
DALLAS ACQUIRES:
Zach Bogosian & Evander Kane
WINNIPEG ACQUIRES:
John Klingberg, Erik Cole, Curtis Mckenzie, Branden Troock, & 2016 First Round pick
If you were the Stars general manager would you make this deal?