A little over two weeks after sending a fourth-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Kings for goaltender Ben Bishop, who then inked a long-term deal with his new club, the Dallas Stars are talking about dishing out another selection:
The No. 3 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
"I have talked to other teams already about possibly moving that pick, getting an established player back," Stars general manager Jim Nill said on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. "It gives us lot of options. I think this will heat up more as we go."
Nill openly campaigning to deal a top-three pick is no surprise considering the way Dallas has furiously entered rebuilding -- or restocking -- mode for 2017-18.
In acquiring Bishop, whose six-year, $29.5 million extension all but guarantees he will replace Dallas' goalie holdovers, the Stars made it clear they are not interested in any kind of long-term plan to return to the postseason. With Ken Hitchcock back in the fold, they want to win, and they want to win again now.
What makes a potential trade of the No. 3 pick a win-win for the Stars, however, is the fact Dallas was able to haul in a separate first-rounder via the conditional selection they got in exchange for surprise standout Patrick Eaves at this season's trade deadline.
Holding onto the third overall pick and landing a top-three prospect, of course, wouldn't hurt Dallas' prospects down the road, but reeling in talent later in the first and potentially also adding a top-line veteran help is about as good a plan as a playoff-hungry team could have, especially in an offseason that could also strip it of some bodies thanks to June's expansion draft.
