The Dallas Stars have made a big move before the NHL trade deadline. They sent a first and third-round pick to the San Jose Sharks to acquire forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci. Shortly after that move, defenseman Miro Heiskanen went out with a lower-body injury that could be long-term. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that the Stars may not be done adding before the trade deadline.
“No one thinks Dallas is done,” Friedman reported. “Depending on how they handle Miro Heiskanen’s injury status — and nobody’s going to be rushing him back for the regular season — the Stars still have about $5 million in LTIR space. Don’t be surprised if they aren’t finished [remodeling] the right side of their [defense].
While Ceci will help solidify the blue line, he was not brought in simply as a depth luxury. Nils Lundkvist is out for the season with a shoulder injury, necessitating the Ceci addition. So with Heiskanen out long-term, they could add another defenseman ahead of the deadline.
Outside of that, the Stars can add depth pieces to benefit both the forwards and defensemen. If they move Heiskanen to LTIR, they will have nearly $12 million in cap space to deal with. That makes them one of the most intriguing buyers at the deadline.
The Stars can add at the trade deadline
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The problem for the Stars and the other buyers at the trade deadline is that there are not many sellers. The Sharks are certainly a big one, but they traded their two best pieces to Dallas. That leaves so few options to go after, especially as the Eastern Conference playoff race continues to expand.
The Seattle Kraken have plenty of solid depth options the Stars can add before the deadline. Most of them are forwards, with names like Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev being spoken about. But they could trade guys who are not pending free agents, like defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. He started his career with the Stars and should fit in seamlessly.
The Chicago Blackhawks are in the basement of the Central Division and have already started selling pieces. They already traded Taylor Hall and the Stars should get involved in their firesale. Alec Martinez was a key part of the Kings' two Stanley Cups and Vegas' rise to relevancy. He is a pending free agent and should be on the move. He would be the perfect fit to fill Hieskanen's role and be a veteran leader in the locker room.