Fansided

5 teams that didn’t do enough at the NHL Trade Deadline

By Griffin Youngs

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 5: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers listens to the national anthem before the game against the Los Angeles Kings at STAPLES Center on January 5, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NHLI via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 5: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers listens to the national anthem before the game against the Los Angeles Kings at STAPLES Center on January 5, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Dallas Stars fans react before Ty Dellandrea was selected thirteenth overall by the Dallas Stars during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Dallas Stars fans react before Ty Dellandrea was selected thirteenth overall by the Dallas Stars during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Dallas Stars

It’s been another season of mediocrity for the Dallas Stars, as they once again find themselves on the fringes of playoff contention, just as they have for the previous two seasons. Despite that, the Dallas Stars are not on the list due to their own faults at the deadline, but rather due to their own misfortunes.

The Stars actually made a nice trade with the New York Rangers on the Sunday before the deadline, acquiring Mats Zuccarello for a 2019 second-round pick and a conditional 2020 third-round pick, a trade that was considered a steal by most of the hockey world. In his first game with Stars, Zuccarello recorded a goal and an assist in the first two periods, then blocked a shot late in the second period. That blocked shot broke his arm and takes him out of the lineup for at least four weeks.

It’s not the Stars’ fault that Zuccarello got hurt, and if he didn’t they wouldn’t be on this list. But now they’re the same team they were before the deadline, which is still lacking depth. They could have made some moves to solidify themselves as a playoff team in the weak Western Conference. With their loss to the Golden Knights on Tuesday, the Stars are holding on to the final Wild Card spot by a single point, with 67 points.

Zuccarello likely won’t back until the very end of the season, and with the Stars fighting for their lives in the Western Conference playoff race they needed to secure themselves with another move. They didn’t need to get Mark Stone, but Derick Brassard would’ve been a great addition for a cheap price.

The Stars’ only other move before the deadline was overpaying for Ben Lovejoy, who doesn’t move the needle enough to justify trading Connor Carrick and a third-round pick. Those assets would’ve been better used by either keeping them or finding an actual upgrade via a trade.

The Stars are on thin ice this season after two straight playoff misses, and even if they do make and get annihilated in the first round, major changes will on the horizon in all fronts. Only if they make the playoffs will they be able to use Zuccarello, and if they don’t those picks will have been for nothing. They needed to do more, and their franchise might pay for it with a third straight year of missing the playoffs.

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