Dallas Stars: Mats Zuccarello Injury Could Affect Trade Deadline Mindset
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars made two trades on Saturday in an attempt to improve their team and avoid the chaos of the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. But, after Sunday’s gutsy win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the door may once again be open for Dallas to want (or need) to make another move before time runs out.
It really seemed as though the Dallas Stars were set up to completely avoid the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline and be a better team because of it.
After a busy 12-hour period on Saturday in which the Stars shored up their young defense by trading Connor Carrick and a pick for Ben Lovejoy in the morning, got shut out by the Carolina Hurricanes in an unemotional 3-0 showing in the afternoon, and wrapped up the day with a trade for Mats Zuccarello, everything seemed to have fallen neatly into place.
Dallas needed help in the offensive zone and on the power play that could lead to more scoring, so they traded for Zuccarello. They also could have afforded to get a little deeper and older in the back end, so the Lovejoy addition was an admirable one as well. And with those two moves, the Stars seemed all but set for their final push to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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If only it were that easy.
After dropping a stale loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon, the team boarded a plane for Chicago. Both Zuccarello and Lovejoy met the team there in preparation for their game against the Blackhawks, which was slated for a 2 p.m. start at the United Center.
No. 36 (Zuccarello) and no. 21 (Lovejoy) ended up making their debuts with the Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon, and brought a variety of new elements to the Dallas attack. Lovejoy played 18:03 in his debut, logging a +1 along with two hits and three blocked shots. His performance also included some costly errors, though, like a turnover in the defensive zone that led to a Jonathan Toews breakaway and a penalty late in the third period.
But on the offensive side of things, the Stars were on fire and had Zuccarello to thank for it. His speed and skill were evident from the opening face-off and he always seemed to be on top of the puck when he was on the ice. By the end of the first period, he had sprung Radek Faksa‘s breakaway goal with an assist and boasted a +2 rating and two shots on goal.
Not even two minutes into the second period, Zuccarello found the back of the net on a snipe from the circle to push the Dallas lead to 3-0.
He was explosive, carried a lot of momentum on the ice, and had the Dallas Stars offense revved up. Nill looked like a genius for bringing him in and the Stars looked like a completely different team than the one that had dropped a 3-0 game to Carolina 24 hours prior.
But then, it happened. What happened? Well, one of the worst things imaginable for any hockey team.
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As the second period came to a close, Zuccarello went down on one knee to block a shot from Connor Murphy. The puck hit him in the arm and caused Zuccarello to flinch with pain for a moment before finishing his shift.
He didn’t return to the game and, upon further evaluation, was put in a cast with a possible broken arm. Following the game, it was announced that no. 36 was heading back to Dallas on Monday for another assessment from doctors and that the initial prognosis was at least four weeks.
To send two conditional draft picks (that also tie in with your next two first-round picks) away for a player that only gets to play 40 minutes before an unlucky accident is haunting. And yet, here the Dallas Stars are.
Assuming that Zuccarello is out for four weeks, he would make his return around March 24. That would have him sidelined for 13 of the Stars’ final 20 games. Considering those 13 games will be the determining factor in whether Dallas makes it to the postseason or not, losing no. 36’s offensive bite is an excessive blow.
So, what’s next? Does this injury affect the Stars’ thought process at the 2019 Trade Deadline? Will GM Jim Nill take this as a sign to get back on the market and find another offensive spark to trade for? It should, but don’t be entirely certain.
“This is it for us,” Nill told DallasStars.com after trading for Zuccarello on Saturday. “We filled in the holes that we thought we had, and it’s time for the players to go do it now.”
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Well, the hole is back. Without Zuccarello in the mix, the Dallas Stars would be sticking to their usual lineup when looking for scoring pressure. That’s playing with fire for a team that sits 29th in the NHL with 2.53 goals per game. After all, the Stars have been shut out three times in their past six games.
Will that lead Nill to go out and pick up another piece in Zuccarello’s absence?
That could be a tricky endeavor, but it could also be a necessary one.
For one, the Dallas Stars are limited on major assets that they could offer in return. In terms of draft picks, Nill only has picks in rounds 4, 5, and 6 to work with over the next two years. With the two picks traded to New York having the potential to be first-round choices depending on if the Stars win two playoff series this season and if Zuccarello re-signs with the Stars this summer.
As a result, he’s got a limited offer list to work with. There’s also the cap to worry about, considering Dallas is close to the wall. Any trade Nill makes before the deadline hits at 2 p.m. on Monday will likely have to be a player-for-player deal in order to alleviate some cap pressure. That could also be achieved if the team moves Stephen Johns or Tyler Pitlick to the long-term injured reserve list.
But if Nill truly does get back into the trade mix, who could he target? The past weekend saw many of the deadline’s top targets dealt to new cities and teams. However, there are still some noteworthy names waiting for a deal.
Does he go all-in and make a push at Mark Stone? That’s unlikely, but still a possibility. Maybe he moves on to Wayne Simmonds or Andre Burakovsky. Derick Brassard or Marcus Johannson could also be in the mix.
Each of those players comes with a different situation and skill set, so the target depends both on what Nill wants and what he can actually get while staying within the boundaries.
Losing their newest acquisition not even one full game into his career as a Star hurts. The fact that he also brought a markedly different intensity to the Dallas offense in the first two periods makes the pain even worse.
But sitting and whining about how unfair life is never got anyone anywhere. So now, it’s up to Nill to do what is best for his team in order to set them up for a run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Does that mean he makes another move? Does he stand pat and hope that the Stars can survive until Zuccarello’s return?
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It’s difficult to try and pinpoint what he might end up doing. There is, however, one thing that you can be assured of: the next few hours will play a critical role in defining the 2018-19 Dallas Stars.
The deadline is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25. Stay tuned.