Dallas fans' No. 1 trade target may be playing against the Stars on deadline day

As the Dallas Stars get set to return to the ice on Wednesday, it's time to examine the team's final opponent ahead of the NHL trade deadline, March 6. Last week, we looked at the Seattle Kraken, Nashville Predators, and Vancouver Canucks, the Stars' first three opponents after the Olympic break.

And while there has been a bit of bad news for the Stars ahead of their return with Mikko Rantanen hitting the IR, Dallas enters the final third of the season in good shape, sitting third in the Western Conference, just one point behind Minnesota for second in the Central Division.

Plus, the Predators, Canucks, and their final opponent before the NHL trade deadline, the Calgary Flames, are so far back in the standings that the Stars should have every opportunity to pick up all eight points in their first four games back from the break.

The Flames put off their rebuild last year, but signs point to it getting underway in the next 10 days or so. And they have more than one player on the roster, too, that Stars fans wouldn't mind seeing in Dallas.

Flames center/wing Blake Coleman

Native of the DFW area, Coleman sits at the top of Dallas' faithful's 'want' list. He's a DFW-area native who has won two Stanley Cups. Coleman may be on the older side at age 34, but he's the exact kind of player the Stars could use, in that he's a middle-six winger who can put the puck in the net, plays on the first unit penalty kill, can fill in on a power play unit in a pinch, and throws his body around.

The trick in getting him to Dallas is making the salary work. General manager Jim Nill is up against it with the cap, and it's unclear if winger Tyler Seguin will return this year. If the Stars have hopes of his return, the trade is hard to make without giving up Jason Robertson, arguably the team's best young wing. But if Seguin stays on long-term IR, some money stays freed, and maybe the deal works, as Coleman is owed $4.9 million this season and next before becoming a free agent.

Flames center Nazem Kadri

Do the Stars really need Kadri? No. Dallas is pretty set down the middle of the ice, barring a significant injury to Roope Hintz or Wyatt Johnston. And if that happened, the Stars have bigger problems, anyway.

The thing about Kadri, though, is if Dallas wants to make Coleman work without putting Seguin on long-term IR, a Robertson-for-Coleman trade would never happen. The Flames would need to include another high-end player, and Kadri fits that bill. He makes $7 million a season through 2029, which isn't ideal for Nill's tight budget in the future, but there's a world in which the ever-reliable (39 points in 56 games) finds himself in Dallas.

It won't happen because Robertson barely makes more than Kadri does now and is about a decade younger, but, hey, it's technically possible. And Kadri is practically a lock to get dealt.

Flames center Morgan Frost

More likely than Kadri heading to Dallas alongside Coleman is Frost doing so. That's far less sexy and a harder sell to the Stars fan base, though, if they have to give up Robo to do it.

In a trade, Frost has plenty of upside at age 26 and makes $4.375 million through 2027. But the former first-round pick hasn't lived up to his potential yet over six seasons, maxing out with 46 points in 2022-23 with the Flames. But Dallas would, theoretically, be getting two players for one if it landed Frost and Coleman for Robertson.

It's just hard to imagine Nill pulling the trigger on letting his young American winger go. As we've written before, the best move is re-signing Robertson. But that's much easier said than done as decision time looms.