The Dallas Stars have been on quite a roll since the end of the 4 Nations break. These recent games have displayed some of the best team hockey the Stars have played all season. They got the power play energized again and have been scoring goals until the final buzzer. Everything seems to be working, unlike the other side of the American Airlines Center. That franchise is having a whole different season. It looks like the Stars are about to get a lot of followers after the latest Dallas Mavericks injury.
The Stars have been pretty quiet during the NHL Trade Deadline week. With how the team plays right now, why make a trade? The chemistry amongst the players is some of the best fans have seen all season. Why throw a wrench into a well-oiled machine? The last thing the Stars need to do right now is mess with the chemistry of the team. With Tyler Seguin skating right now, the Stars could be one of the deepest teams in the Western Conference Playoffs.
The only way I see the Stars making a trade is if the asking price comes way down on a rental player. Rumors were swirling around last night about Pius Suter being traded to the Stars. While that was a false rumor, his contract would have expired along with Mikael Granlund's and Cody Ceci's. That's the type of player Jim Nill is trying to acquire for another run at the Stanley Cup this season. They don't want to be locked in with a long contract with all the young talent they have to sign.
Wyatt Johnston is one of those players who is Jim Nill's top priority. The last thing Nill wants to do this summer is get tied up in an offer sheet bidding war with half of the NHL for Johnston. Wyatt has earned a massive extension to stay in the DFW Metroplex. There's no way I see Nill doing that, and he should get an extension done before the offseason. You can't forget to pay Thomas Harley his long-term extension as well. He's probably the brightest star in the sky right now.
While you shouldn't rule out a last-minute trade with Nill's history as a GM, I don't see the Stars making any more trades this season. They have a lot of young talent to re-sign, which is probably the organization's primary focus right now. I wouldn't mind a trade for a cheap right-handed defenseman on an expiring deal; the Stars' fanbase shouldn't expect anything flashy. It would be a complete shock if Nill decided to pull off a significant trade by Friday.