Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Stars may be the biggest disappointment in the NHL this season. With their loss on Tuesday, they fell to 6-9-4 on the season. That leaves them 10 points out of the Central Division lead and six points out of a playoff spot.
The team has already started making moves. They just sent veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar to the Montreal Canadiens for Travis Moen. While the deal looks like a bad one on paper, it seems to be the start of bigger moves to come. Gonchar was set to make $5 million despite being 40 years old.
The same type of move could be made with Ales Hemsky. While the situation is totally different, the Stars could still benefit from getting his $4 million cap hit off the books. Some team would take a chance on Hemsky for the right price.
Hemsky has been a healthy scratch as of late. This is probably the worst possible time to trade him as his value has never been lower. However, the Stars are desperate to make something happen. After an offseason that saw them bring in former Ottawa Senators Hemsky and Jason Spezza, they are currently the second-worst team in the Western Conference.
Dallas needs to make more moves to bring in better players. Their defense has been awful to say the least. There probably isn’t a top-flight defenseman on the trading block right now, but they need to make room in case one comes by.
The Stars cannot afford to waste any seasons where they have Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin in their prime. If they miss the playoffs this season, it would be the biggest disappointment in the NHL. They cannot wait until the offseason to continue to make moves. They should see what could happen with Hemsky on the block and go from there. He isn’t contributing. He has two assists and a -8 rating.
While this is probably an overreaction, the time to react is now for the Stars. They need defense. They need room in the cap. This seems like a necessary move. They should at least field offers.
Nick Villano is the New Jersey Devils writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.
