The Western Conference standing are tight and there will be no such thing as a easy opponent when the Stanley Cup Playoff kick off. There has been somewhat of an arms race in recent days between Western Conference teams as the March 7th trade deadline creeps ever closer. The Colorado Avalanche acquired Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey on Feb. 28th while the Minnesota Wild struck a deal that saw the Nashville Predators send Gustav Nyquist to the Hockey State in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft pick. The reigning Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers even got on the action when they sent Max Wanner, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick as part of a three-team trade with New Jersey in exchange for Trent Frederic, Max Jones and Petr Hauser.
Dallas is currently without Miro Heiskanen, Tyler Seguin and Nils Lundkvist for the remainder of the season, and their status for the playoffs is murky at best. It will be interesting to see what price General Manager Jim Nill is willing to pay to keep the Stars on course to life Lord Stanley in the summer.
The top name left on the block is Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen. While Carolina's asking price might potentially be too steep for Dallas, it might be worth it if the potential target propels the Stars towards a second championship.
The NHL Trade Deadline ends at 3pm EST on March 7th.