Dallas Stars Fin(n)al Pre-Trade Deadline Thoughts: Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen, Mikael Granlund, and Tyler Seguin(en)

Here's what I'm hearing and feeling and thinking about the Stars' deadline moves

Today, I wanted to dig into a few last trade deadline things on the latest news about Miro Heiskanen’s return and Mikko Rantanen hubub. But first, let’s talk about tonight’s game for a moment.

The Dallas Stars are facing Joel Hanley and the Calgary Flames tonight at 7:00pm. You might not have thought the Flames would be a playoff contender a year after moving Chris Tanev and Jacob Markström.

Surprise! Here they are, chugging along with the second-fewest goals scored in the Western Conference (just two above Nashville) and a -18 goals differential. They are tied with Vancouver, both in terms of having 67 points so far and in the '-18 goals differential. Though, Calgary have also allowed fewer goals (just barely) than Edmonton, so they have that going for them.

Safe to say, the top seed in the West will have a much better first-round matchup than the Stars did last year. But you knew that already.

Based on morning skate today, the Stars will use the same 20 players as last game, meaning Colin Blackwell will sit for yet another consecutive game along with Brendan Smith. Jake Oettinger will start in goal.

One thing that could be different is the line configurations tonight. I was distracted by a conversation this morning, but my pal Sam Nestler noticed that Mikael Granlund was skating with Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson during morning skate.

“He’s competitive for his size,” DeBoer said of Granlund today. “He knows when to try and make a play and when to put it in a good spot because there’s not a play to made. You’d think that’s an easy skill, but for me, that’s of the toughest skills to acquire.”

As far as where Granlund will play, it’s safe to say DeBoer prefers to continue deploying him on the wing, where he’s been since his second game with Dallas.

“I think we can use him in the middle of we have to,” DeBoer said of Granlund. “But I like him on the wing. I think he’s comfortable on the wing. I think he can play anywhere, but with those three centermen [Hintz, Johnston, Duchene], there’s really no bad spots to play if you’re a winger.”

I’ve been wondering lately what the Stars would do when Tyler Seguin returns, and this seems to reinforce my suspicion that the coaching staff would prefer not to rely on either Mavrik Bourque or Logan Stankoven to play on their top line, come playoff time. That’s not a knock on either play, but more of a luxury the Stars have with their forward depth.

If Seguin returns healthy, then it makes sense to put him back with Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment, where the chemistry has been so second-nature for the trio. And if Granlund isn’t going to play center, it makes more sense to put him up with other skilled players on the top line, rather than putting him in a bottom-six role.

The acquisition of Granlund happened so early that I think it can be forgotten how big of a move that was. It was also overshadowed by the Stars’ defensive depth needing urgent help. But when it comes to talking about big forward targets for Dallas, I think Granlund could wind up being the biggest move they made—and one of the best around the league, too.

Again, given the prices at the deadline, I think the Stars will end up having gotten enormous value for money. Jim Nill found a sizable right-handed defenseman and a top-line forward for basically one first-round pick. Cody Ceci may not be the answer to every problem (and his underlying numbers haven’t been all that great in Dallas so far either), but he’s certainly helped to address a big need for Dallas at an important time.

Is the Mikko Rantanen Talk Real?

Okay, let’s talk about two things here.