Stars' final game before the deadline may have been Coleman's swan song in Calgary

The final Dallas Stars game before Friday's NHL trade deadline finished with the good guys picking up their 10th straight win, a club record. Now, Stars fans wait and see if any of the players who skated in black, orange, and red will end up wearing victory green in the next 72 or so hours.

Dallas blasted the Flames, 6-1, one night after beating the Canucks, 6-1. Those two teams sit in the bottom two positions of the Pacific Division, well out of postseason contention. But they're also the teams most often in recent weeks as Dallas' likeliest trade partners.

For the bulk of the two months, the Stars' biggest need on the trade market was depth scoring. Tyler Seguin's injury created a bit of a hole in the middle six. Not that Dallas' biggest need has changed - especially now that three other forwards, including two from the top line, have joined Seguin on the shelf - but the crooked numbers on the scoreboard since dating back to late January have suggested maybe the need isn't quite as great as it seemed in early January when the team went through a 3-7-4 stretch.

Now, with less than 48 hours left on the proverbial clock, general manager Jim Nill will have to determine whether to ride with what he has - and what he has just so happens to be the hottest team in the NHL - or play the long game by bringing in some mercenaries.

Dallas Stars still looking hard Blake Coleman

Dallas-area native Blake Coleman is one of the most appealing mercenariess. Coleman is a prototypical, physical third-line center who plays the wing. He steps into the powerplay in a pinch (and would likely find himself there while Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen are out), kills penalties on a second unit, throwshist body, gets in front of shots and, perhaps most importantly, has experience as a two-time Stanley Cup-winner.

But bringing Coleman - or center Nazem Kadri - to Dallas would require Nill make a sacrifice. Almost certainly, Calgary's preferred quarry would be Mavrik Bourque. The Flames would want another player, too, as giving Coleman or Kadri up for just a still-developing player in his early 20s would be a sign of a team giving up. Would Nill want to give the Flames anyone else?

Maybe, but things are complicated by the deals Dallas has to make in the offseason. Namely, winger Jason Robertson is staring at a handsome raise as a restricted free agent. Coleman would add just under $5 million to the payroll. That's $5 million the Stars have now with Seguin on long-term injured reserve, but his salary counts against the books again heading into 2026-27.

No one knows what Nill will do. He probably doesn't even know this far out yet. Instead, we all wait and watch, antsy to see what Dallas does for the stretch run.