The Dallas Stars spent their Monday on a relatively quiet note as the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline came and passed. As a result, the team is done with adding players for their push to the postseason. Let’s take a moment to look back at all that they did during this busy trade season. When the clock hit 2 p.m. CT on Monday afternoon, it seemed as though the future of the 2018-19 Dallas Stars became a little bit clearer. And yet, at the same time, there’s reason to believe that it’s foggier than ever. The 2019 Trade Deadline kept the entire league stuck in a busy whirlwind throughout Monday morning and into the early afternoon. Rumors were passed around, big names were traded, and certain teams got stronger or weaker all at once. Quietly present in the middle of this whirlwind was Stars GM Jim Nill. Just 24 hours prior, however, Nill had his sights set on one thing: the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After spending his Saturday afternoon heavily involved in the trade market, the Stars reeled in two new pieces in defenseman Ben Lovejoy and forward Mats Zuccarello. It looked as though the moves had all but wrapped up the Stars’ deadline endeavors and had the team set up for a strong final push to the postseason. But, things quickly changed in the most unfortunate way possible. Not even 40 minutes into what had been a stellar debut, Zuccarello broke his arm against the Chicago Blackhawks after blocking a shot. Upon initial evaluation, it was estimated that the injury would require at least four weeks to fully heal. Just like that, the Dallas Stars were back to square one when looking for an answer to improve their struggling offensive attack. Zuccarello had provided an immediate boost and impressive force to the Dallas offense in his first two periods with the team, but now finds himself unable to aid the attack until at least late March. So Nill quickly reassumed his deadline post, manning the phones and looking for another option to help his team along in their playoff push. But with limited assets (including no first-round picks) to offer to potential sellers and limited time to indulge in serious talks, the Stars somewhat had their hands tied. And while there had been plenty of transactions in the NHL by the time the 2 p.m. deadline hit, the Dallas Stars weren’t involved in any of them. Nill confirmed shortly after the deadline passed that he had talked with some other teams throughout Monday morning, but that nothing transpired. Meanwhile, almost every other Central division team made at least one move. The Nashville Predators picked up Mikael Granlund and Wayne Simmonds, Minnesota added Kevin Fiala, the Blues secured Michael Del Zotto, the Avalanche traded for Derick Brassard, and the Winnipeg Jets added a prime piece in Kevin Hayes. But, with every deadline can come a certain sense of tunnel vision for fans. In other words, if their team doesn’t make a move on the day of the deadline, that team, in essence, has “failed” and wasted a valuable opportunity at bettering themselves in preparation for the homestretch. The Stars didn’t waste this year’s opportunity. In fact, Jim Nill crafted multiple deals in an attempt to better his team. While some early-season moves were made in response to injuries and various other outlying factors, Nill has been particularly busy in the market over the past 50 days. And through 62 games, his actions have Dallas at 31-26-5 with 67 points and in control of the first wild card spot. Though he may not have been able to do anything on Monday during a crisis situation, his early actions were committed in an effort to better the team ahead of time and get them ready for the playoff push. So, as this 2019 trade season comes to a close, let’s take a quick look back at all that Jim Nill has done to improve the Dallas Stars over the last two months.<doc-sep>The trade deadline is at 2pm CST. *** At least the weekend wasn’t boring, right? Here’s hoping this isn’t outdated by sunrise. There’s a lot to get through as we wait to see whether the Stars make any last-ditch moves today, so I’ll break things up a bit. Poor choice of words there, perhaps. Dallas acquires Ben Lovejoy for Connor Carrick and a 2019 3rd-round Pick Waking up Saturday, I was expecting Dallas to do something with the defensive group. Forced to guess, I would’ve said Dallas would move Julius Honka and another asset for someone who could take some minutes from the most one-dimensional defenseman in their lineup, Roman Polák. However, we learned even more about what Dallas values in their defense group. And hey, guess what, it’s not things like “measurable performance,” but rather much more nebulous, subjective qualities like the right sort of experience and mental toughness. What I’m saying is, the Stars traded a 3rd-round pick for two months of a 35-year-old defenseman who is not as good as an ambulatory Marc Methot but can at least kill penalties. This trade, in other words, would make at least some sense if the Stars’ penalty kill weren’t in the top 10 of the NHL already. But, just as the Stars panicked at the 2016 deadline at the prospect of entering the playoffs with their mobile-but-admittedly-green blueline and tried for Dan Hamhuis and then succeeded in getting Kris Russell, so too are these Stars convinced that they might not succeed in the playoffs because—and I am not making this up—they are not defensively sound enough. My friend Carloyn mentioned after the game Saturday that Jim Nill’s track record with trading for forwards has largely been pretty good, while his history with defensemen has been, er, less superb. The Lovejoy acquisition, which took another pick from the Stars’ now shallow pool of draft picks in the next two years, is more or less in line with that Russell trade, except they didn’t need to throw in a B prospect like Brett Pollock. Lovejoy’s first game (in Chicago) was not exactly promising, with a penalty and a horrible turnover to surrender a breakaway on his initial CV. But if you ever wondered what makes Tampa Bay different from Dallas, all you have to do is realize that Dallas thinks they are a better team with the surprisingly good Taylor Fedun (who didn’t help his cause with a rough game against Carolina) and a certain first-round pick in the press box in favor of—and again, I am not making this up—Jamie Oleksiak, Roman Polák, and Ben Lovejoy. If I am reading things right, the Stars believe Polák’s work ethic (which is sterling) and toughness make him indispensable because large, while they believe Oleksiak’s size and know-quantity-ness make him more reliable than Carrick or Honka (or even Fedun on his off side). Again, these are decision made with no basis in facts that we have access to, but perhaps the Stars have proprietary measurements that show Lovejoy being an upgrade over Fedun. One hopes that trades for meaningful assets are not made based on the scouting of the last couple of games, after all. If so, then these are decisions made subjectively, in hopes that conventional hockey wisdom about size and toughness and defense-first mentalities will win the day. We shall see if that is the case. The hope with Lovejoy, of course, is that he will, in addition to defensing real good, prove another good mentor for his defense partner. as he was said to be for Will Butcher in New Jersey. It’s so endearingly earnest of the Stars to then pair Lovejoy with Oleksiak in Chicago (at least to start—things got shuffled thanks to injuries, and he ended up playing with Lindell a fair bit), but I suppose it’s a bit much to ask Dallas to believe that their spectacular goaltending would still be useful in front of a more transition-capable defense. Maybe next year. Anyway, at least the Stars officially won’t have to rely on any of their non-Heiskanen first-round picks to do anything, since that seems like something they have been legitimately worried about all season long. Dallas acquires Mats Zuccarello for two conditional picks (2nd and a 3rd) As the Stars Alumni Game began Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be sitting down by the glass with some friends. The Zuccarello news trickled into our phones as things got started, and it was perhaps the only thing that could approach the joy I felt at seeing Ales Hemsky playing hockey while a mic’d up Marty Turco kept saying, “Shoot the puck, Ales.” (Side note: Jere Lehtinen is legitimately still really good at hockey.) You know all the conditions by now, so of course this trade will end up looking a lot different if Dallas wins two rounds of the playoffs and decides to re-sign Zuccarello this offseason (which they probably shouldn’t, for my money, unless they get some more picks elsewhere before the draft). But it was nice to see an immediate impact from Zuccarello, who really did look like the best deadline acquisition since Brad Richards in his debut. For a while, at least. It’s so unbelievably cruel. The Stars managed to get an impact top-six forward without giving up any of their top prospects we assumed they’d need to include in such a trade, and then he gets immediately injured for a month by blocking a shot and breaking his arm. It’s hard to remember a crueler twist of fate for a new acquisition, unless you count any of the other players signed by the Dallas Stars in the last three seasons. Poor guys. It’s tough to pronounce anything with certainty given the plague Dallas was struck with throughout the lineup, but Zuccarello really did bring this team a multivalent quality they’ve lacked all year. Some of that is probably first-game jump and Red Bull in a loud Chicago barn, but that really is the sort of player he is.<doc-sep>It’s deadline day in the NHL, which means teams will be done trading by 3:00 PM EST. With some big names like Mark Stone and technically Artemi Panarin still on the board, there’s still a lot to get excited about. That’s true from even a Dallas Stars perspective. After obtaining and then losing Mats Zuccarello in less than 24 hours, the Stars look like they’ll be hitting up the phones again: Perhaps related to the Zuccarello injury, but the Stars are working the phones today looking a several options. May not be done. — Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 25, 2019 Of course given the ammo they gave up to acquire Zuccarello in the first place, their options are a bit limited: Remember that Stars have some cap flexibility still since Johns can go on LTIR. They don’t have much flexibility when it comes to trading draft picks with limited availability in next two drafts. Picks in rounds 1-3 of 2019 & 2020 are either traded or tied up in conditional deal — Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) February 25, 2019 I hope you aren’t planning to get any work done today, because it could get crazy. Stars Stories Still trying to process everything that happened yesterday? Sean Shapiro discusses the aftermath of last night’s 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks: Mats Zuccarello, Stars combine for an emotional day and one bad break https://t.co/SCzeUfHpA2 — Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) February 25, 2019 This is going to sting a little, but at least it’ll get you pumped up for when Zuccarello returns? Here's what the new lads said before playing the game:https://t.co/BLHzE7TU5m — Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) February 25, 2019 Central Census It looks like the St. Louis Blues are mortal after all. They picked up a point in overtime, but ultimately lost to the Minnesota Wild 2-1. [NHL] Meanwhile the Winnipeg Jets dropped a 4-1 decision to the Arizona Coyotes, who retired Shane Doan’s jersey last night: [Arctic Ice Hockey] With the Blues five points out of reach for third, let’s look at the Wild Card race today instead. And boy is it tight: League Links Well if you had your fingers crossed for Gustav Nyquist, you’re out of luck: UPDATE: The Detroit #RedWings today acquired a second-round draft pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for RW Gustav Nyquist. pic.twitter.com/3gfwSmPVcy — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 25, 2019 Same goes for Kevin Hayes: Hearing @NHLJets not waiting any longer on Stone and have a agreement in place for Hayes. — Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) February 25, 2019 This potential WPG-NYR deal is WPG 2019 first-round pick, Brendan Lemieux and a conditional pick in exchange for Kevin Hayes. Believe an agreement is in place but trade call not set yet. — Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 25, 2019 You might want to read DownGoesBrown’s Weekend Wrap now, before the Nashville Predators trade for Mark Stone, Artemi Panarin, and Wayne Simmonds all at once: It's the weekend power rankings, featuring plenty of trade deadline thoughts. Read them quickly before they're all obsolete. Seriously, you have like ten minutes tops, please hurry. https://t.co/hw3NFtWugO pic.twitter.com/zlXSGuIwmA — Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) February 25, 2019 In all seriousness though, it looks like the top suitor for Stone right now are the Vegas Golden Knights: My sense on the Vegas Golden Knights. Plan A, Mark Stone; Plan B, Micheal Ferland. Having said that, the Hurricanes are wary of moving Ferland, concerned of affecting team chemistry in a playoff race. Ferland could be Carolina's own rental unless a team really steps up — Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 25, 2019 Earlier in the weekend, Ryan Dzingel was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who seem to be going all in this year: First, it was Matt Duchene. Now, it's Ryan Dzingel. The Blue Jackets are loading up and pushing their chips to the middle with Monday's deadline on the horizon, writes @THNJaredClintonhttps://t.co/dZV6bBft0o — The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 25, 2019 Finally, I don’t exactly want Wayne Simmonds, but he’s available:<doc-sep>Another NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Dallas Stars – still in playoff position, mind you – stayed quiet through a hectic Monday of wheeling and dealing. The rush of landing Mats Zuccarello on Saturday ended all too quickly on Sunday, with the talented forward injured before completing the first 14 minutes of his first game in Victory Green. But the Stars’ GM, a notably cautious man, just wasn’t sold on a stopgap acquisition deal, reports The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks: “We talked to a lot of teams, but unless it was something that was going to be a perfect fit, we made some pretty big moves the last two days and made prior moves all season,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “You still have to manage your assets and be careful. We were close on a couple things, but in the end, they weren’t going to be the right fit.” With Denis Gurianov on recall, and Roope Hintz up for the rest of the season, Nill decided not to expend more assets on help at forward: “You can only spend so much,” Nill said. “You can have a shopping list, but once the credit card gets loaded up, you got to be careful. We paid major prices already for the guys we did [acquire]. You can only do that so much. You got to be careful.” There’s much more under the paywall. [SportsDayDFW] Stars Stuff If you slept in yesterday, the Stars radio guys will get you up to speed. New York Rangers writer Tom Albano delivers an encomium for Zucc. And here’s the latest on the break that ended his splendid Stars debut against the Chicago Blackhawks. Update on Mats Zuccarello's injury: He suffered a broken arm and is set to undergo surgery on Tuesday to help it heal faster. The surgery helps keep the timeline at four weeks. https://t.co/VuOusqK9ih — Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 25, 2019 TDLsewhere Eric Duhatschek gives the TDL high grades for entertainment, especially the Winnipeg-Nashville “arms race.” But can one great trade, or even several, really transform a team? Did sanity (mostly) prevail at the 2019 NHL trade deadline? Maybe. The vast majority of contenders either stood pat or made a minor tweak. Not exactly sure if this is a blip or a trend, but we discuss: https://t.co/WJXXpIQQrQ — Eric Duhatschek (@eduhatschek) February 26, 2019 The NHL Network takes a look at the teams that held steady during the swap meet. Former Stars writer Scott Burnside graded papers for The Athletic, and the Victory Green gang earned a minus for the Mats Zuccarello injury. Athletic subscribers: @OvertimeScottB offers his NHL Trade Deadline grades and projects where all 31 teams will finish the season. https://t.co/90PbQvFF9J #stlblues — Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) February 26, 2019 CBC Sports has a full recap of the TDL action. Everything that went down on #NHLTradeDeadline Day ➡️ https://t.co/NIZeG3m9aP — Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) February 26, 2019 The Vegas Golden Knights landed a big fish in Mark Stone, and I’m just saying this is the sort of welcome that can really set the tone early. WELCOME TO FABULOUS LAS VEGAS, MARK STONE #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/ZLuYDykxuK — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 26, 2019 Around The League(s) In On The #Kill Taker That game capped what turned out to be an interesting day for Derick Brassard. #FlaPanthers Derick Brassard stepped onto the ice for morning skate in Denver, then pulled. He’s going down the hall and playing for the Avs... — George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) February 25, 2019 Stats dude Sean Tierney has posted several updated maps for skaters, goalies and teams. Draw your own post-TDL conclusions here. All skater charts are updated for your #TradeDeadline perusal. Click through the tabs and highlight by teams here: https://t.co/OtOhQ3uvUV pic.twitter.com/23o1VEBiYA — Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) February 25, 2019 Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park Denis Gurianov is back in Big D. The Texas Stars may miss him sooner rather than later: They just ended their road trip with a 4-2 loss to the Chicago Wolves. [100 Degree Hockey] Finally You were thinking it. @100DegreeHockey said it. You’re welcome. Enjoy.<doc-sep>
CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 24: Mats Zuccarello #36 of the Dallas Stars waits for the puck-drop in the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on February 24, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images) The Dallas Stars made two trades on Saturday in an attempt to improve their team and avoid the chaos of the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. But, after Sunday’s gutsy win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the door may once again be open for Dallas to want (or need) to make another move before time runs out. It really seemed as though the Dallas Stars were set up to completely avoid the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline and be a better team because of it. After a busy 12-hour period on Saturday in which the Stars shored up their young defense by trading Connor Carrick and a pick for Ben Lovejoy in the morning, got shut out by the Carolina Hurricanes in an unemotional 3-0 showing in the afternoon, and wrapped up the day with a trade for Mats Zuccarello, everything seemed to have fallen neatly into place. Dallas needed help in the offensive zone and on the power play that could lead to more scoring, so they traded for Zuccarello. They also could have afforded to get a little deeper and older in the back end, so the Lovejoy addition was an admirable one as well. And with those two moves, the Stars seemed all but set for their final push to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If only it were that easy. After dropping a stale loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon, the team boarded a plane for Chicago. Both Zuccarello and Lovejoy met the team there in preparation for their game against the Blackhawks, which was slated for a 2 p.m. start at the United Center. No. 36 (Zuccarello) and no. 21 (Lovejoy) ended up making their debuts with the Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon, and brought a variety of new elements to the Dallas attack. Lovejoy played 18:03 in his debut, logging a +1 along with two hits and three blocked shots. His performance also included some costly errors, though, like a turnover in the defensive zone that led to a Jonathan Toews breakaway and a penalty late in the third period. But on the offensive side of things, the Stars were on fire and had Zuccarello to thank for it. His speed and skill were evident from the opening face-off and he always seemed to be on top of the puck when he was on the ice. By the end of the first period, he had sprung Radek Faksa‘s breakaway goal with an assist and boasted a +2 rating and two shots on goal. Not even two minutes into the second period, Zuccarello found the back of the net on a snipe from the circle to push the Dallas lead to 3-0. He was explosive, carried a lot of momentum on the ice, and had the Dallas Stars offense revved up. Nill looked like a genius for bringing him in and the Stars looked like a completely different team than the one that had dropped a 3-0 game to Carolina 24 hours prior. But then, it happened. What happened? Well, one of the worst things imaginable for any hockey team. As the second period came to a close, Zuccarello went down on one knee to block a shot from Connor Murphy. The puck hit him in the arm and caused Zuccarello to flinch with pain for a moment before finishing his shift. He didn’t return to the game and, upon further evaluation, was put in a cast with a possible broken arm. Following the game, it was announced that no. 36 was heading back to Dallas on Monday for another assessment from doctors and that the initial prognosis was at least four weeks. To send two conditional draft picks (that also tie in with your next two first-round picks) away for a player that only gets to play 40 minutes before an unlucky accident is haunting. And yet, here the Dallas Stars are. Assuming that Zuccarello is out for four weeks, he would make his return around March 24. That would have him sidelined for 13 of the Stars’ final 20 games. Considering those 13 games will be the determining factor in whether Dallas makes it to the postseason or not, losing no. 36’s offensive bite is an excessive blow. So, what’s next?