The 2019 NHL Trade Deadline is just around the corner and will present the Dallas Stars with a chance to strengthen their lineup for the postseason race. But with the excessive number of buyers that could be in the running, there will be a need for caution when scanning the market.
The Dallas Stars have one week to figure out a couple of things within their organization.
First off, they need to figure out who they are as a team. They have struggled with building a consistent identity for themselves through the first 58 games of the 2018-19 season. As a result, they are still looking to take that “next step.”
To build on figuring out who they are, the Stars also need to decide who they want to be. Dallas currently sits in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference with 63 points and looks to be in a position to contend for a playoff spot. How do they assure that they are a challenger? And if they succeed, how can they mold into a Stanley Cup contender?
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That’s where the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25 comes into play. If the Dallas Stars want to be a surefire playoff challenger in the West, they would be smart to add some help. Their offense has been shut out in each of the past two contests, the depth forwards are an inconsistent mess, and the need for scoring has become more and more prevalent over the past year.
Their areas of need would suggest that the deadline is a potential solution to the Stars’ problems. There are players on the market that Dallas has both been linked to and could potentially go after when trying to make a deal to better their lineup. How does that come about?
It can be a complicated process at times.
For one, the Dallas Stars have to determine which players to target. Which ones will fill their voids in the best possible way? Which ones will give them the best chance of competing for a postseason spot down the homestretch?
In addition, they have to figure out which players or assets they might be willing to offer in a deal. Which ones could push the deal forward while not significantly hindering the team in the long run?
GM Jim Nill has been doing his homework over the past few months and has already acquired two new players via the trade market in Andrew Cogliano and Jamie Oleksiak. That level of consistent activity shows determination and a certain level of aggressiveness from the Dallas front office in this year’s trade frenzy.
But, as it is with every NHL Trade Deadline, there’s a challenge. It has to do with how the rest of the league is thinking and planning for the frenzy. And, unlike in past years, the 2019 deadline could require a different approach for the Stars and the rest of the league.
That largely has to do with the number of potential buyers in the mix.
Blue Line Station
At every NHL Trade Deadline, there are buyers and there are sellers. The buyers are working on rounding out their rough edges in preparation for a Cup run while the sellers are trying to trade away their veteran pieces in exchange for draft picks and prospects to build for the future.
Buyers are in the here and now, while sellers are looking down the road.
With each passing deadline, there can be anywhere from 15-18 buyers, 10-12 sellers, and a handful of teams stuck in trade limbo as they try to decide what they are.
This season, however, the numbers seem to have shifted in favor of the buyers. As a result, the NHL could be entering deadline week with somewhere closer to 20-22 buyers.
That’s thanks to some recent surges by teams that looked to be stuck in the bottom of the standings just a few weeks ago. In the East, teams like the Flyers and Hurricanes have won eight of their past ten games. Once viewed as probable sellers, there’s a shot for both teams to make a playoff push. In the West, the Blues have won ten games in a row while the Blackhawks have picked up eight wins in their last ten. Meanwhile, the Coyotes and Canucks find themselves within reach of the wild card.
As a result, the number of teams looking to make a valuable addition to their lineup could be substantially higher than in years past. Even though some of these teams might not have any realistic shot at competing for a Cup with their current makeup, who’s to say that they cannot make a run at the postseason? After all, they are surging at the perfect time of the year.
So, if the number of buyers is higher, that could play into the hand of the sellers on the market. In other words, if there are less impact players on the block, buyers could potentially get into a bidding war when trying to add talent. It’s simple supply and demand.
And with that being said, the Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars will need to be cautious in their trade deadline approach.
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In any negotiations over the next week, the Stars could quickly find themselves in a war with a handful of other teams. That could quickly cause a sudden increase in price as teams fight for the upper hand and the seller simply sits back and watches the offers roll in.
That’s where Nill has to be smart. He has to know when to justifiably raise his offer, which pieces he could include and which are absolutely off-limits, and when to walk away from a price that surpasses the team’s range.
Now, there’s no guarantee that Dallas runs into this problem. The next week could see more teams enter “selling” territory and look to the future. The Stars might also engage in trade talks and not have to deal with any bidding wars in their pursuit of a new piece.
But, then again, this deadline has the potential to be quite a tall challenge for the Dallas Stars. Every team wants to improve, and this is the prime time of the season to do so.
But teams have to know their own limits, especially when the buyer number is high. How far will the Stars go in deadline talks to make something happen? Will it be a worthwhile and impactful trade?
And what will they have to do to make it happen?