Dallas Stars: Four Potential Targets At 2019 NHL Trade Deadline
By Josh Clark
Andre Burakovsky
Age: 24
Height/Weight: 6-3, 201 lb.
Contract situation: RFA in 2019 offseason ($3 million AAV)
A few weeks ago, the Washington Capitals had a professional scout attend a Stars home game. A day or two later, the Stars had a scout at a Capitals home game. And, through the power of social media and the curiosity of hockey fans, this turned into a full-blown case study.
It was eventually noted that the Stars had shown interest in Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky as a potential trade target ahead of deadline action. To add onto that, Burakovsky had arguably been made available by the Capitals.
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And if this move ends up panning out, it could be one that works in favor of the Stars.
Though he’s only 24 years old, Burakovsky owns an impressive resume. It includes five seasons of play at the NHL level with the Washington Capitals, four runs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and a championship. Not bad for a 2013 first-round pick.
Burakovsky possesses all of the tools of an NHL-ready forward, including an ability to play on either wing. He boasts impressive speed and puck handling skills and knows how to put the puck in the back of the net. He can contribute on the power play as well as provide a dose of size and speed to a team’s bottom nine.
During the 2015-16 season, he posted a career-high 17 goals and 38 points in 79 games. He followed that performance up with 12 goals and 35 points in 64 games in 2016-17.
Last season, he finished with 12 goals (including five game-winners) and 25 points in 56 contests and followed it up with two goals and six points in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
This season, however, he’s been put in a bit of a rut. While Burakovsky has played in 49 games, he only has seven goals and 15 points as well as a -4 rating. He’s averaging the lowest ice time of his career as he struggles to find scoring consistency on the Capitals’ third line.
As a result, the Caps could very well be looking to dish him at the deadline.
Like with most trades the Dallas Stars might commit, it would need to be a player-for-player deal. In return for Burakovsky, the Stars would have to give Washington a player that could potentially spark their struggling third line. That may not be an easy decision for Jim Nill to make, considering names like Radek Faksa and Mattias Janmark come to mind when you think of “third line spark.”
But, if Dallas believes that a change of scenery could help Burakovsky access his formerly dominant offensive style and use it to push their second line forward, then maybe it’s the trade that they need. And, if he comes to Dallas and impresses, the Stars have a 24-year-old forward to build around for the future.
Burakovsky isn’t fitting in the Washington system right now and the Dallas Stars have shown interest in taking him out of it. It’s definitely a plausible trade option for Dallas, but is one that could require some tough decisions. And is a tough decision worth the uncertainty of Burakovsky’s success? That’s a decision to be made by Nill.