The Dallas Stars' Twitter account (officially known as As an accessory to most salary relief proposals, Dadonov's salary would be rolled into the LTIR, freeing up $2.25 million heading into his trade deadline.
In response to this move, the Stars called up Matej Blumel for his second stint in the major leagues as a member of the Stars organization. While the trades may seem simple, these co-dependent trades could be the first domino to force Dallas at the trade deadline.
The Stars' problem clearly isn't their forward depth, as they currently outscore any other team in the league with 3.8 goals per game. The bigger problem is that two of the more mobile defenders, Jani Hakanpaa and Nils Lundqvist, are injured. With each player sidelined during a particularly uncertain time of the year, Derrick Pouliot has reportedly been called up to line up next to Esa Lindell. The pairing of Miro and Hurley, which shocked the lineup, will likely be eliminated to spread the talent and coach's trust between two of the three pairs.
With depth evenly spread and an additional $1 million and salary change available, Jim Nill is in a great spot to trade for another right-handed defenseman. Depending on who DeLandrea, Brummell, or whoever's secondary trade chip is, the Stars could send a Chris Tanev pickup to Calgary or a Shawn Walker pickup to Philadelphia. Now would be a good time for Pouliot and Hanley to be easily snatched from their positions next to Suter and Hurley. From there, readjustment will begin again.
The exciting part about this new shiny toy is the upgraded features Stars are currently getting from 2RD. Assuming Hakanpaa is dealt, Lundqvist could slot in next to Lindell at even strength, with Tanev (or whoever!) joining him in the first penalty-killing unit. Additionally, a better partner for elite defenseman Thomas Hurley would prove Suter is in the top four with Miro in L1 despite being dragged around like a bag of dirty laundry. A third pairing of Lindell and Lundqvist could lead this team to the conference finals.
In summary, the player moves that brought in Brumel, Dadonov, Pouliot, and a right-handed defenseman will only pay off by winning the Stanley Cup. This team was second in last year's playoffs, and the eventual champions chopped up the defensive core like a freshly baked California roll at Sushi Axiom. As you may have noticed, these are virtually the same defense attorneys who were victimized by the mutilation described above. The forward group has elevated its play to a championship level thanks to some outside additions, and now it's time for the defense to follow suit.
