Dallas Stars Could Make A Deal With Carolina Hurricanes This Offseason

The 2018 offseason holds a lot of questions for the Dallas Stars. But there is a pretty significant chance that they will be active in trading or free agency. One team that could be an ideal partner is the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Dallas Stars always seem to be a wildcard when it comes to the offseason. And it’s not just because they tend to have extra time to prepare for the frenzy as opposed to consistent playoff teams.

The reasoning is because GM Jim Nill has become accustomed to enjoying working behind closed doors. He keeps his information locked down and leaves everyone (fans and media included) to guess what he plans on doing.

And just as soon as you think the Stars are going after a right winger for depth, he hits us with a Martin Hanzal signing. Or when you think the goaltending is getting an upgrade, he goes out and trades for Patrick Sharp even after denying the trade rumors a few weeks before.

It makes the offseason both unpredictable and therefore exciting, at least to an extent. Every offseason offers Stars fans a chance to pick out which free agents or trade targets they think would fit well on the team and hold onto hope that Nill will craft a deal. More often than not, that never ends up happening. But every once in a while, it works out.

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And in the upcoming offseason, there are plenty of pending free agents or players that Dallas could target in a trade that could immediately help a team that needs aid.

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The fact of the matter is that even though the Dallas Stars have some of the top talent in the NHL on their roster, they still need help. After all, when a team doesn’t make the playoffs for two straight seasons, something has to be done. It’s plain and simple.

So Nill is likely already hard at work, studying potential offseason targets and crunching the numbers. But who could he be targeting?

It could be any number of players across the league. But one specific team that could be an ideal target for trade could be the Carolina Hurricanes.

If there’s any team that’s been on a more disappointing slide than the Stars over the past decade, it’s the Hurricanes. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, the Canes have been to the playoffs just once, being in the 2008-09 season. That’s nine straight seasons without playoff action. At least there’s been two instances in the past decade for the Dallas Stars. It’s not much, but it could definitely be worse as we see with Carolina.

For the past three years, the Hurricanes have been a playoff contender in the latter part of the season but have fallen just short when it matters most. That’s frustrating for fans, players, and management.

As a result, the Hurricanes began a mass turnover this past season, bringing on a new team owner, new general manager, and new head coach. And with new staff changes typically comes significant lineup changes, especially for a consistently struggling team trying desperately to take the next step and getting nowhere.

Carolina Hurricanes

On a radio show last week, TSN’s Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie talked about the Hurricanes’ offseason plans. In it, he pointed out that Carolina may be bound for a fire sale this summer.

“Change is certainly the most operative word in Carolina, I don’t think there’s any question about that,” said McKenzie. “Owner Tom Dundon is something of what I guess we could call a wild card. He’s not a conventional NHL owner.”

“I think the Canes consider themselves open for business,” McKenzie also added. “I think the word on the street is that pretty much everybody but Sebastian Aho is available.”

Now, obviously the Hurricanes aren’t planning on selling every single player on their roster. Longtime Hurricanes like Jordan Staal and young, promising players like Teuvo Teravainen likely won’t be going anywhere unless the return is significant.

But that still leaves the door open on plenty of players that Dallas may look to pick up in order to bolster their own roster.

At the moment, it doesn’t seem as though the Stars need any defensive additions. They had a steady and consistent group this past season and have plenty of young talent in the pipeline. While that may seem a bit unfortunate because of the young defensive talent that Carolina possesses (i.e. Noah Hanifin and Justin Faulk), it’s nice to know that Dallas is in good standing already.

But on offense? That’s where things could get interesting.

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The 25-year-old Jeff Skinner stands out as a prime option. He’s averaged 30 goals in the past three seasons and has turned out to be one of the Canes’ most valuable offensive assets. And though he does have a no-movement clause in his contract, all it requires is a simple waiving of it by Skinner. Putting him on a second line with Mattias Janmark and potentially Jason Spezza could truly liven up the second line and give it a newfound energy. That’s exactly what the Dallas Stars need after all.

Other options could include the veteran right winger Justin Williams (who put up 51 points in his first season with Carolina this past year) or even a young forward like Elias Lindholm or Victor Rask.

The point is that if the Hurricanes truly are selling, the Dallas Stars might be wise to poke their head in the door. The need for forward depth is one priority for Dallas this offseason, and the Hurricanes could be a great help in achieving that goal.

Some of these acquisitions may not be cheap, though. But Nill has never been one for straying away from high-risk trades. And to his credit, they pay off in the Stars’ favor more often than not. I mean, have you heard of that Tyler Seguin guy that Nill traded for a few years ago?

Next: Final Grades For Stars Players In 2017-18 Season

There are a few different ways that Nill and the Dallas Stars could go this summer when addressing their needs. But if Carolina is open for business in their own attempt to right the ship, then why not kick the tires?

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