Dallas Stars: Wrapping Up, Grading Their 2019 Trade Deadline Moves

The Dallas Stars spent their Monday on a relatively quiet note as the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline came and passed. As a result, the team is done with adding players for their push to the postseason. Let’s take a moment to look back at all that they did during this busy trade season.

When the clock hit 2 p.m. CT on Monday afternoon, it seemed as though the future of the 2018-19 Dallas Stars became a little bit clearer. And yet, at the same time, there’s reason to believe that it’s foggier than ever.

The 2019 Trade Deadline kept the entire league stuck in a busy whirlwind throughout Monday morning and into the early afternoon. Rumors were passed around, big names were traded, and certain teams got stronger or weaker all at once. Quietly present in the middle of this whirlwind was Stars GM Jim Nill.

Just 24 hours prior, however, Nill had his sights set on one thing: the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After spending his Saturday afternoon heavily involved in the trade market, the Stars reeled in two new pieces in defenseman Ben Lovejoy and forward Mats Zuccarello. It looked as though the moves had all but wrapped up the Stars’ deadline endeavors and had the team set up for a strong final push to the postseason.

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But, things quickly changed in the most unfortunate way possible. Not even 40 minutes into what had been a stellar debut, Zuccarello broke his arm against the Chicago Blackhawks after blocking a shot. Upon initial evaluation, it was estimated that the injury would require at least four weeks to fully heal.

Just like that, the Dallas Stars were back to square one when looking for an answer to improve their struggling offensive attack. Zuccarello had provided an immediate boost and impressive force to the Dallas offense in his first two periods with the team, but now finds himself unable to aid the attack until at least late March.

So Nill quickly reassumed his deadline post, manning the phones and looking for another option to help his team along in their playoff push. But with limited assets (including no first-round picks) to offer to potential sellers and limited time to indulge in serious talks, the Stars somewhat had their hands tied.

And while there had been plenty of transactions in the NHL by the time the 2 p.m. deadline hit, the Dallas Stars weren’t involved in any of them. Nill confirmed shortly after the deadline passed that he had talked with some other teams throughout Monday morning, but that nothing transpired.

Meanwhile, almost every other Central division team made at least one move. The Nashville Predators picked up Mikael Granlund and Wayne Simmonds, Minnesota added Kevin Fiala, the Blues secured Michael Del Zotto, the Avalanche traded for Derick Brassard, and the Winnipeg Jets added a prime piece in Kevin Hayes.

But, with every deadline can come a certain sense of tunnel vision for fans. In other words, if their team doesn’t make a move on the day of the deadline, that team, in essence, has “failed” and wasted a valuable opportunity at bettering themselves in preparation for the homestretch.

The Stars didn’t waste this year’s opportunity. In fact, Jim Nill crafted multiple deals in an attempt to better his team. While some early-season moves were made in response to injuries and various other outlying factors, Nill has been particularly busy in the market over the past 50 days. And through 62 games, his actions have Dallas at 31-26-5 with 67 points and in control of the first wild card spot.

Though he may not have been able to do anything on Monday during a crisis situation, his early actions were committed in an effort to better the team ahead of time and get them ready for the playoff push.

So, as this 2019 trade season comes to a close, let’s take a quick look back at all that Jim Nill has done to improve the Dallas Stars over the last two months.