Dallas Stars Trade With Chicago: Who Got The Better Deal

At around 8:00 on Friday evening, the Dallas Stars sent longtime Defenseman Trevor Daley and Right Winger Ryan Garbutt to the defending Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks, in exchange for Left Winger Patrick Sharp and Defenseman Stephen Johns.

The trade was very unexpected to both Stars and Blackhawks fans, and essentially came out of nowhere.

But in reality, a defenseman trade, including Trevor Daley as one of the possible players, has been circling the Stars organization for a while now, and the Blackhawks were in a sticky financial situation and inevitably had to give somebody up.

All in all, the trade makes perfect sense. The question is, who got the better deal?

What the Dallas Stars Get:

First and foremost, the Dallas Stars acquired an NHL All Star Game MVP, a 3x Stanley Cup Champion, and a 13 year veteran in Patrick Sharp. Just two seasons ago, Sharp played every game of the year, and recorded 34 goals and 44 assists. He has a career total of 249 goals and 277 assists.

He has been nothing short of incredible throughout his entire NHL career, and has been massive to the Blackhawks’ success in recent years.

With a likely line of Sharp-Spezza-Hemsky, Stars fans can expect him to do major damage on the second line, as well as being another threat on the Stars power play.

But what threw many Blackhawks fans for a loop was the other guy they sent to Dallas.

Defenseman Stephen Johns has been highly talked upon for many years now. The 6-4, 23-year-old tallied four goals and 17 assists with the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL this past season. His +30 plus/minus was tied for first in the entire AHL.

Many Blackhawks fans were infuriated that their team sent Johns away because of the capability they know he has. If he turns out to be as good as people say, the Stars got a huge acquisition in Stephen Johns.

What the Chicago Blackhawks Get:

Ryan Garbutt has a career total of 70 points in 198 games. While those numbers don’t look like anything too special, Garbutt has been in the NHL for only two full seasons.

At 29 years of age, the Blackhawks still have time to find the right place for Garbutt in the lineup, and get him to produce the numbers they need out of him.

The Blackhawks also receive Trevor Daley in the deal. In 11 NHL seasons, all with the Stars, the defenseman has scored 67 goals and added on 164 assists in 756 appearances. Trevor Daley is 31 years old, but age doesn’t seem to be affecting him offensively. Last season, Daley shattered his career high in points for a single season. The Toronto native put the puck in the net 16 times, and finished with 22 helpers.

On the defensive side of the puck, his plus/minus was not so great, ending at -13, his career worst. But with the Stars defensive problems throughout the entire 2014-2015 season, nobody’s was really that great, either.

If Chicago can fix Daley’s recent troubles on defense, and if he puts up similar numbers on offense, then he will indeed carry his load with the Blackhawks.

Even more importantly, the Blackhawks get rid of Sharp’s massive $5.9 million cap hit. Not only that, but the Stars are actually paying half of Garbutt’s salary, as well. Having numerous studs on their hockey team means the Blackhawks have a lot of money to pay, but this trade was a huge step in fixing their salary cap issues.

Looking at all of the details of the trade, I think both teams got exactly what they wanted.

If Stephen Johns turns out to be what many people think he will, the Stars will have the near edge in the long-run. But with Chicago getting rid of Sharp’s hefty contract in entirety and healing their financial situation, and with the Stars stacking up their offense even more, as well as acquiring a young, highly-raved on defenseman, it seems to be beneficial to both teams.

For Dallas Stars fans, if Patrick Sharp can produce his past numbers for a few more seasons, and if Stephen Johns becomes a solid NHL defenseman as many people expect, then the Victory Green have a solid chance to make a run at the Stanley Cup within the next couple of seasons.

Thanks, as always, for reading, and leave your thoughts on the trade below!

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