Dallas Stars: Five Potential Players To Target At NHL Trade Deadline

The 2018 NHL Trade Deadline is less than a week away and no one is quite sure how the Dallas Stars will approach it. If they do decide to go shopping, here are five names they could be interested in.

The next six days could drastically alter how the Dallas Stars finish their 2017-18 regular season. As crazy as it may seem, it’s true.

As the final week of February ticks down, the annual NHL Trade Deadline makes its way into the spotlight. It happens every year and creates some of the season’s hottest storylines. That being said, it’s one of the most interesting and intriguing times of the year.

But what makes it so intriguing? It’s pretty simple. For a one or two week period, you have 31 NHL teams thinking 31 different ways. Not only does every team adopt the title of “buyer”, “seller”, or “neutral”, but there are also a variety of stances within each of those titles.

It’s also fun to watch your team take a stab at finding their ideal match at the deadline. Are they in a bad year and planning on selling some fan-favorite or veteran pieces with expiring contracts? Or maybe they are succeeding and need one or two big pieces in order to round their team out.

Dallas Stars

But how much does each team need to pull in or deal out? That’s the primary question as we approach the deadline. And for the Dallas Stars, it really could go either way.

There is significant debate in regards to the Stars at the deadline for the first time in Jim Nill’s tenure as general manager. In 2013-14, they were “on the fence” buyers; in 2014-15, they were clear sellers; and in 2015-16, they were definite buyers. Then we all know what happened last season.

But this season, it could go either way. On the one hand, the Dallas Stars are playing impressive hockey down the stretch and look to be clicking on all cylinders. Their offense is explosive, their defense is one of the best in the NHL, and both goaltenders are reliable more often than not. Why mess it up by adding a new asset when it’s working well right now?

On the other hand, however, there’s no hurt in adding new talent. The Stars still look somewhat shaky in their play at times, so rounding out the gaps in the roster could be a good thing. And with the market being as stocked as it is this season, now is the perfect time to capitalize for the playoff push.

But Nill isn’t going to jump to any conclusions this year. If there is a sensible deal that is for the right price, he’ll look into it. If it’s too steep, he’ll be content with sticking with his current lineup.

Whichever way you may lean on the subject, one thing is for sure: some help on offense could potentially do the Dallas Stars some good. With that being said, who are some targets that the Stars could go after at the deadline?

Let’s take a quick look at five sensible options that Dallas could look into over the next few days. Whether the price is right or not is a different conversation. But as of right now, here are five players that could make a sizable impact in the Stars’ lineup just in time for the playoff push.