Stars Acquire Nils Lundkvist from Rangers

According to several well-informed sources, the Dallas Stars have acquired defenseman Nils Lundkvist from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2023 first-round draft pick.

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It was expected that Lundkvist would be dealt after requesting a trade weeks ago and threatening to skip training camp. The 22-year-old had received a lot of interest, and the fact he was able to fetch a first-round pick despite spending more than half of the 2021-22 season in the American Hockey League goes to show how much potential he has.

Lundkvist, who himself was a first-rounder (18th overall) back in 2018, spent several seasons playing professionally in Sweden before heading to North America this past season. He didn’t adapt to the NHL as quickly as he would have hoped, and as a result appeared in 34 AHL games to just 25 with the Rangers. In those 25 games he managed a goal and four points while averaging just a smidge under 14 minutes in ice time.

Finding himself behind a logjam of young Rangers defensemen heading into 2022-23, Lundkvist didn’t believe he had a true shot at earning a full time position in the NHL unless a trade were to come to fruition. Heading to the Stars, a team who has a hole with the departure of Klingberg, should prove to be a much better fit for him. With the offensive skill he has proven to have during his time spent in Sweden, he could very well become a fixture on his new clubs power play in the near future.

While Lundkvist does possess a ton of talent, this seems to be a steep price to pay by the Stars. His offensive skills will never be questioned, but his small stature and questionable defensive play caused him to struggle in 2021-22. There is certainly some risk in this deal from the Stars perspective, though we likely won’t be able to determine a winner for at least a few years.

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