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Stars Talk Decision Not to Trade John Klingberg at Trade Deadline

The Dallas Stars ultimately decided not to trade defenseman John Klingberg. GM Jim Nill talks why and the risks involved.

There was plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg heading into this year’s NHL Trade Deadline. A player who had expressed his disappointment with the way the organization had handled a potential contract extension, it was clear Klingberg was looking to move on and there was some thought to him being traded. Ultimately, he wasn’t moved and the Stars could lose him for nothing in the offseason.

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Klingberg is a pending UFA and typically, teams sitting outside the playoff picture would move a contract like that to ensure they get some kind of return for an asset they probably won’t be keeping. The Stars are close to the postseason picture, but will be fighting until the final day of the regular season to get in. GM Jim Nill talked about the decision to keep Klingberg and noted he was simply too important to their playoff aspirations.

John Klingberg Dallas Stars
John Klingberg Dallas Stars

Saad Yousuf of The Athletic quoted Nill who said:

“There’s a lot of this talk of trading him or doing whatever — John Klingberg is a big part of our team. He’s part of our leadership group. He has a major impact on our team. I think we’ve seen the last three games what he does for us. I’m always open to making our team better, any way I can, but there was no situation that transpired that said (trading him) would be the right move. We need John Klingberg.”

Nill noted that it wasn’t an easy decision because he can’t tell what the future holds, and “You don’t know which way it’s going to go.” One thing that helped him make up his mind was the injury to Miro Heiskanen. “That affects your decision-making,” he said.

Did the Stars Make the Right Choice?

If Dallas gets into the playoffs, people will cut Nill a little slack for hanging onto the player. If they wind up playing Colorado, they might not be as forgiving. If the Stars miss the postseason and Nill passed up on a chance to add a number of useful prospects and picks at this year’s deadline, that could be a decision that affects the team moving forward for a while.

Considering the returns some teams got for moving inferior defensemen, it was clear Dallas could have done extremely well in any trade.

Next: Kyle Dubas Calls Out Blackhawks GM For Leaking Fleury Conversations

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5 Comments

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