No trade-deadline team more intriguing than the Dallas Stars

The Stars have been right at the cusp of a Stanley Cup playoff spot for most of the season, but they have yet to make it stick. Young talent like Jason Roberston, Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen have hit their stride. At age 37, Joe Pavelski leads the team in scoring. And second-year goaltender Jake Oettinger was recently named the NHL’s third star of the week.

There’s a lot to like about the Stars – even with the burdensome contracts of captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin eating up a sizable amount of cap space. But they simply haven’t been consistent. And the Stars have gone 10-13-1 on the road. That’s not good enough.

This is not going to be an easy trade deadline for GM Jim Nill. His team is fifth in the Central Division with 56 points in 49 games. The Stars currently sit three points back of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with one game in hand.

It’s not inconceivable to think Dallas makes a strong push over their last 33 games and earns entry into the Stanley Cup playoffs. But can Nill risk losing pending UFA’s like Joe Pavelski, John Klingberg, and Braden Holtby for nothing?

The veteran NHL GM is going to have to make some major decisions. But I’m not convinced he has to wait until the deadline.

If I were in his shoes, I’d move Braden Holtby regardless of the standings. The 2018 Stanley Cup winner is one of the few goaltenders with pedigree available on the trade market. And there are plenty of teams sniffing around.

A goalie with Holtby’s experience and very reasonable salary cap hit of $2 million should fetch a nice return. Oettinger looks ready. And the Stars still have Anton Khudobin as insurance. Don’t forget his magical run to the Stanley Cup final in 2020.

If anyone is willing to take Alexander Radulov, that’s a no-brainer. The former 29-goal scorer has only found the back of the net twice this season. But it might not be easy. Radulov has a 15-team no trade list.

Considering he’s asked for a trade, I think it’s safe to assume John Klingberg will no longer be a member of the Dallas Stars when the 2022-23 season commences. But this decision is tricky. Klingberg is still an offensive force for the Stars, quarterbacking the power play and filtering pucks to the net. They need him if they want to go on another run.

But Klingberg’s $4.25 million cap hit is almost too good to be true. He’s worth far more than that. If the Tampa Bay Lightning were willing to give up a first-round draft pick at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for David Savard from the Columbus Blue Jackets, who’s to say what Klingberg is worth on the open market?

If I’m Jim Nill, I have to listen to offers for Klingberg. The Stars need to restock the cupboard with high draft picks. They have three first-rounders in Ty Dellandrea, Riley Tufte and Thomas Harley playing in the AHL. Dellandrea looks closest to full-time NHL duty, but none are sure bets. A mega offer for Klingberg would go a long way.

The last piece of the puzzle is Pavelski. And for me, it’s an easy decision. Re-sign him. I know he’d get a nice return at the deadline, but the chemistry Pavelski has developed with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz isn’t easily replicated. He’s every bit as important to the Dallas Stars as captain Jamie Benn. I think Nill gets this one done, where they can maybe have the best of both worlds – to trade Klingberg and keep an eye toward the future, while hanging on to Pavelski to not hinder his team’s playoff chances too much.

The Avalanche can win a Stanley Cup with their current goaltending tandem.

Although trade rumors have subsided recently, there was ample chatter about the Colorado Avalanche possibly looking for an upgrade in goal. And to that I say: Why? 

After losing Vezina Trophy finalist Philip Grubauer to the Seattle Kraken in free agency this past offseason, Avalanche GM Joe Sakic sent a first-round draft pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for pending UFA goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Many considered that move to be an upgrade in net. Kuemper was highly coveted on the trade market.

While I’ll fully admit things didn’t start well for Kuemper this season in Colorado, he has been absolutely lights out since American Thanksgiving. Yes, he lost 5-1 to the Bruins last time out despite making 40 saves. But before that, Kuemper had not lost a game in regulation since Nov. 26. His save percentage is currently .919 and it has risen over the course of the year.

The Avalanche have the best winning percentage in the NHL. Their roster is stacked and head coach Jared Bednar has done an excellent job. And ever since Pavel Francouz came back from injury, the Avalanche have received top notch goaltending.

I think that’s a big part of Kuemper’s recent success. For some NHL starting goaltenders, it’s hard to perform when they don’t have any support behind them. All the weight is on their shoulders. And that was the case in Colorado for a lot of the season.

Francouz has provided a much-needed security blanket. It’s similar to the support Antti Raanta provided Kuemper when they were teammates with the Arizona Coyotes.

It was foolish to expect Kuemper to immediately acclimate to a new team and system. His numbers looked like a credit card at the start of the season. But the best goaltenders find a way to play within the structure of their new team. It’s a feeling-out process. It may have taken a while, but Kuemper and his teammates are finally on the same page.

Which is why I think the Avalanche are best served standing pat when it comes to their goaltending. A trade-deadline acquisition in goal hasn’t paid dividends since Dwayne Roloson was sent to the Edmonton Oilers in March of 2006. Think about that: 16 years is a long time.