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Jim Nill has earned himself recognition as somewhat of a mastermind when it comes to in-season trades.
The Stars GM became the first person to win the league’s GM of the Year award three consecutive times for a reason.
He’s shown a knack for patience and thinking one step ahead, like when he not only traded for Mikko Rantanen ahead of last season’s deadline, but signed him to the largest contract in franchise history.
Nill has called the shots at the trade deadline the last few years — but this time, another team could force his hand sooner than he would’ve liked.
The Calgary Flames have a plethora of assets they’re looking to trade before the March 6 deadline, and defenseman Rasmus Andersson is right among the league’s top targets. The 29-year-old right-shot defenseman has been linked to Dallas since before the season even began as a potential trade-deadline target for Nill and his staff.
After the ACL injury to Tyler Seguin, options opened for the Stars. If Dallas deems the injury season-ending, the Stars could use his $9.85 million cap hit to make a move for a player like Andersson.
Nill has never been one to rush a trade. Immediately after the Seguin injury, the Stars were winning. Plus, with seven of his players heading to Milan for the Winter Olympics next month, who knows who will be healthy when they return stateside?
In his perfect world, the Stars GM has said he’d like to wait until after the Olympics to make a trade. But since Dec. 23, the Stars have lost nine of 11 games, signaling something needs to change. Then, on Friday, multiple reports indicated the Flames were ready to move Andersson as soon as this weekend. The Stars were expected to be one of many teams that would inquire.
Of course, another team cannot fully force Nill’s hand. But Andersson fits a need the Stars haven’t been able to address with a long-term solution for years.
The Stars have no shortage of skilled left-shot defensemen, including Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Lian Bichsel. But Dallas has been lacking on the right side.
Andersson is known as a tough, minutes-eating veteran, who wears a letter for the Flames. Often compared to former Stars defenseman Chris Tanev, Andersson is averaging 24:12 of ice time this season, more than he ever has in his career. He has also recorded 29 points (10 goals and 19 assists) in 47 games — already near passing his 31 points in 81 games last season.
Despite the Flames’ struggles, he has improved from minus-38 in plus-minus last season to plus-1.
Andersson, however, won’t come cheap, as reports indicate the Flames are looking for a package that includes a first-round draft pick, a prospect and an additional piece. That’s a steep price for a rental, especially for a Stars team without all that many assets to sacrifice after trading three first-round picks last season. It could also mean needing to trade a promising young player like Mavrik Bourque or Nils Lundkvist.
Then comes the question of whether the Stars would pursue Andersson as a rental or only if they could extend him, similarly to how they did Rantanen last year.
The Stars have relied on rentals the last two seasons — in Tanev and Cody Ceci — to address their deficiency on the right side of the blue line. Dallas was ultimately unable to extend either defenseman in the offseason.
The pro of bringing in Andersson as a rental is the Stars have the cap space. They have yet to unlock $6.03 million in cap space from Seguin’s contract if they were to place him on season-ending long-term injured reserve, which is enough to bring on Andersson ($4.55 million cap hit) and another player at the deadline.
But the cons of a rental are even more significant this year. Andersson is set to represent Sweden in the Olympics. If Dallas traded for the defenseman ahead of the Olympics as a rental and he got injured over in Italy, the entire move would be for nothing. Plus, sacrificing another first-round pick for a rental could continue to deplete Dallas’ prospect pool, which is already thinning. It’s a high price to pay — and one Nill should only consider if he believes his current roster, which has stumbled as of late, can win it all this year.
If the Stars ultimately decide to trade for Andersson and consider an extension, there isn’t much cap room to work with. It helps that the salary cap is going up by $8.5 million next season to $104 million. But without trading any current players on the roster who are under contract next season, the Stars would have just $16.44 million to sign three forwards, including Jason Robertson, Andersson and one more defenseman.
Robertson is going to seek upward of $10 million annually for an extension. Projections for Andersson’s extension land him around $8 million annually.
The math for an extension simply doesn’t add up, unless Nill finds a way to dump some significant cap space in the offseason or in the trade.
But if anyone’s proven they can find a way to make the seemingly impossible happen, it’s the reigning three-time GM of the Year. The question is just whether he believes Andersson is worth the price.
Twitter/X: @Lassimak