It’s time for another batch of fresh NHL rumours. We’re less than a month away from the March 8 trade deadline. Teams that have fallen out of contention are going to have to decide a few things. Do they trade off some of their veterans for assets? Or will they bring in reinforcements to shore up the lineup? Most teams need to fill holes in the lineup and the trade deadline is a great chance to fix them. Today’s NHL Rumours focus on the New York Islanders and the Dallas Stars.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
New York Islanders
Rumour: The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun speculated on what the Islanders might do at the trade deadline. LeBrun said that general manager Lou Lamoriello might need to bring in some reinforcements.
Chatted with Lou Lamoriello’s on Patrick Roy’s impact so far, also on Isles and trade deadline. Plus, the sense around league on Chris Tanev.
My latest for @TheAthletic ⤵️ https://t.co/7zkW5OX0YU— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 6, 2024
Analysis: The Islanders are starting to come around after the appointment of the fiery Patrick Roy as head coach. Roy seems to be changing the culture and the way things done on Long Island. The Isles played one their best games under their new bench boss with a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the Islanders might need a little more help if they want to get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Lamoriello is likely calling around looking for help in the forward group. There’s a balancing act that Lamoriello must do, but he also reminded LeBrun that it takes two teams to trade. New York currently sits two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
It’s safe to say that the Islanders have a new lease on life with their new head coach. Expect the Islanders to do something at the deadline. Some forward depth is the ideal play for the team, but it’s still a bit early to figure out the direction that Lamoriello is going.
Dallas Stars
Rumour: Saad Yousuf of The Athletic listed the trade tiers for Stars players at the upcoming deadline.
Analysis: Dallas is tied with the Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Central Division at the time of this writing. There’s no doubt that Colorado is going to be loading up as the trade deadline approaches. So what does that mean for the Stars?
Dallas have just under $2 million of trade deadline cap space according to Capfriendly. This means the Stars will likely have to move some money out if they want to make a deal. General manager Jim Nill may have to be creative when it comes to making some trades.
Yousuf lists the obvious candidates that won’t be moved like key contributors and ones with no-movement clauses. Players like Radek Faksa and Evgenii Dadonov are couple of players that could fetch interest from clubs. Both players have no-trade clauses and have a low cap hit. Faksa makes $3.25 million while Dadonov gets $2.25 million a season. The two won’t be the highlight of a trade package, but could be thrown in to help make the money work.
Craig Smith, Sam Steel and Jani Hakanpää also came up as possible names that could be in trade packages. Smith might be a player can add depth and provide energy to a lineup. Steel has shown some flashes and is still a restricted free agent at 26 years old. Hakanpää might have tough time finding a suitor due to his lack of speed.
The Stars may also ship off a draft pick to make a deal happen. Nill has been willing to roll the dice to acquire a young asset or a key piece. The Stars don’t have selections in rounds three, four and six in the 2024 NHL Draft. Nill might take this opportunity to stock up picks as prospects move up to the NHL level. Draft choices will have to be in play if the Stars want to hang onto prospects like Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven.
Main photo by: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
