Dallas Stars Sit Back As 2018 NHL Trade Deadline Passes
While news heated up across the NHL as the trade deadline approached, the Dallas Stars remained quiet. They ended up making no deals or moves and will enter the final stretch of the season with their same roster.
While the Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, and Vegas Golden Knights all used the trade deadline to their advantage, the Dallas Stars stood pat.
And just like that, the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone.
Over the past month or so, the Stars have been all over the trade deadline map. Or at least their fans have.
What started out as a red-hot month of February that saw Dallas win five games in a row turned cold quickly. The Stars have lost four of their past six games, some by outrageously large deficits, and seem to be showing some obvious holes in their scheme.
Dallas Stars
As a result, the beliefs were constantly shifting among Stars followers. But while the fans battled back and forth and wrestled with their thoughts, GM Jim Nill and the Stars sat quietly. Nill has always been a deceptive general manager that loves working in the shadows. As a result, no one knew quite what to expect. Would he make a move or would he stick with his lineup?
We found out a few minutes ago. After talking to the media, Nill mentioned that the Dallas Stars had been open to deals and that they would have made one if it was right for the team. And while that could take us down an entirely new rabbit trail of possibilities, let’s just focus on the results of the deadline.
While Dallas sat quiet, the teams around them engaged in the fire sale. The Winnipeg Jets picked up reliable scoring help in Paul Stastny. The Nashville Predators found depth scoring with the addition of Ryan Hartman. Finally, the San Jose Sharks picked up Evander Kane to bolster their offense. During all of these upgrades by Western Conference playoff teams, the Stars did nothing.
This approach caught many Stars fans off guard. After dropping a humbling 5-3 loss to the Jets on Saturday night, wasn’t it clear that Dallas needed help if they want to compete when the playoffs come around? One area of the Stars’ game that seems to be lacking more and more as the season goes along is their presence in the offensive zone. The Dallas offense seems to be rather one-dimensional on most nights, with only their “big three” prepared to put the puck in the net. And when they don’t show up, there’s little hope of a victory.
With that being said, many thought that adding a top-six forward to the mix would help balance the Dallas offense out and give it new energy. Names like Mats Zuccarello, Max Pacioretty, Thomas Vanek, Mike Hoffman, and Evander Kane popped up as potential solutions.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-13
Blue Line Station
But Zuccarello, Pacioretty, and Hoffman all stayed with their respective teams while Vanek and Kane were moved. Even if none of these players were presented at the right price for Dallas, it still stings realizing that the Stars couldn’t at least cut one deal.
Another worry factor is with the strength of the division. The Predators and Jets sit as the top two teams in the Central right now and are the two teams that Dallas cannot seem to keep pace with this season. The Stars are a combined 1-5-0 against these two clubs, while they are a combined 5-0-1 versus Dallas. Both of these teams got better today while the Stars stood back and took it all in.
With the Stanley Cup Playoffs right around the corner, this becomes a major worry. If the Dallas Stars do end up qualifying for the postseason, what happens if they have to play one of these teams in the first round? Do they stand a chance?
This trade deadline helped prove one theme overall: Nill is confident in the group he has, regardless of recent results. Ever since taking over as general manager in 2013, Nill has proven that he is never afraid to dig into the trade market and concoct up a blockbuster deal. He also isn’t afraid of taking big risks.
The fact that he decided to refrain from any of those gambles today shows you that he definitely has some confidence in this Dallas Stars team. That cannot go unstated.
This is the first trade deadline where the Stars have gone completely quiet. It also happens to potentially be the most important deadline for the team in recent memory. Staying quiet is a gamble in itself with the playoff race being as tight as it is.
Next: Don't Give Up On This Dallas Stars Team Just Yet
But before talks about playoff competition can continue, there are still 20 games remaining that could determine a lot.
Let’s see what this Dallas Stars team has left in the tank. If Nill’s hopes are any indication, we should be in store for quite an exciting final stretch.