Five Potential Trade Deadline Targets for the Dallas Stars

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 23: Artemi Panarin #9  (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

With the NHL Trade Deadline a month away from today, here are five players across the league that the Dallas Stars could look to add to their roster.

5. Artemi Panarin, LW – Columbus Blue Jackets

Of the five players on this list, winger Artemi Panarin would easily be the most favorable to trade for on behalf of most Dallas Stars fans. The 2015-16 Calder Memorial Trophy winner has had an outstanding career in the NHL, scoring almost as many points as games he has played in the past four seasons.

Panarin started his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he totaled 61 goals and 151 points across two seasons. In the offseason in between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, Chicago traded him to the Blue Jackets.

Panarin has succeeded with Columbus, scoring 135 points (46 G, 89 A) in 127 games in Ohio, and he leads his team

Panarin and his fellow Russian teammate, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, have each had their own “beef” with the Blue Jackets’ front office, and both could find themselves on different teams by the deadline.

To add to the rumor pile, Panarin did an Instagram live stream with Stars’ forward Alexander Radulov earlier in the week, prompting people to plead him that he should try to come to Dallas.

The problem with trading for Panarin, though, is that he comes with a burden—a huge payday. Panarin has a cap hit of $6 million from a deal he signed back when he was a member of the Blackhawks in December 2016.

Considering the fact that Dallas has virtually no breathing room in the bank, their chances of trading for Panarin without giving up someone like Jamie Benn or Tyler Seguin are pretty slim. Although it would be cool to see the “Breadman” in a Stars’ uniform, it’s not likely.

It’s also important to point out that Columbus is in third place in the Metropolitan Division—therefore, they probably wouldn’t want to disrupt the chemistry in the locker room nor would they want to trade away their leading scorer.