Dallas Stars Trade Deadline Possibilites

With two losses over the weekend the Dallas Stars have all but removed themselves from serious playoff contention. That isn’t to say a playoff appearance is impossible, but no one is expecting it seeing that the team can’t seem to win crucial games or hold onto leads. That said, the Stars will most likely be sellers come the trade deadline a week from today and there are a few players that may not be in Dallas by season’s end.

Free Agents

Players currently in contract years, those entering free agency at the end of this season, are the most susceptible to trades on or before the March 2nd deadline. Dallas has five skaters that fall under this category.

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By the looks of it Erik Cole and Shawn Horcoff seem to be the most likely to be traded in hopes of getting something in return, being that they both boast rather high salaries. David Schlemko was picked up off of waivers a few months back, but he has only played in five games for the Stars and given the immense amount of defencemen in the system I doubt he will be on the roster next season. Rich Peverley hasn’t played a game all season since his heart episode during a game on March 10th, 2014 and there haven’t been any signs of him playing in the NHL again of late.

The return on the trade of free agents will most likely only result in draft picks, but in today’s NHL drafting is the most economical way of building a championship team.

Under Contract

Now for the less obvious players that could be wearing different uniforms this time next week. Dallas has invested a lot in these players, but General Manager Jim Nill isn’t afraid of making necessary changes to make the team better.

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Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley are the two veterans on the Dallas Stars blue line, but considering that the Stars sit second to last in the league in goals against they are prime candidates for a trade. Goligoski is the higher paid of the two and is under contract until 2016, but he has had trouble this season with speed and making defensive decisions. Meanwhile, Daley has had a career year in goals and that combined with his skating ability make him a great piece for the Stars to trade, especially considering he’s under contract until 2017. Don’t be surprised if Nill puts together a package deal to get rid of the cap space and age of these two d-men.

Ryan Garbutt is signed through the end of the 2017 season, but his mischievous play could prompt a change of scenery. Garbutt has been suspended twice this year for unnecessary reasons and he’s made extremely poor decisions that hurt the entire team. Just last week Garbutt was benched in the Stars’ 5-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks after taking an elbowing penalty midway through the game. Garbutt’s style of play would make him a good fit on a more gritty team like the Boston Bruins. Overall his unpredictable play and costly decisions make him a good option for Nill to trade.

The trades for Daley, Goligoski, or Garbutt would have to be perfect for them to be dealt prior to the deadline considering they’re all signed through next season and Dallas can’t lose anything by holding onto them. If they are traded, though, you can expect a larger return because of their contract lengths and experience.

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Last but not least in trade possibilities are the Dallas Stars goaltenders. It’s no secret that Kari Lehtonen has underperformed this season and if the Stars fail to make the playoffs a lot of people would blame him. That doesn’t, however, mean Dallas should trade him. While he could be dealt in exchange for a young, number one defensemen I don’t see the Stars giving up on him based on one poor season considering he’s under contract until 2018. He does have a rather high salary cap though, so if Nill is trying to make room for other big moves Lehtonen could be dealt.

Then there’s Jhonas Enroth. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the season and the Stars have to decide whether or not he’s going to be their number two goalie moving forward. Enroth has yet to win a game in a Dallas uniform, but considering Tim Thomas was the last starting goalie other than Lehtonen to win that can’t be held against him. Like the other free agents if Enroth were to be traded the Stars would most likely get a draft pick in the exchange.

There you have it. All of the aforementioned Dallas Stars are the best candidates, in my opinion, that could be traded prior to the deadline or in the offseason.

Who do you think Dallas should trade before March 2nd? Leave your opinions in the comments. As always, thanks for reading!