Elliotte Friedman expects Central Division contenders to be busy ahead of NHL trade deadline

The Dallas Stars have been busy ahead of the NHL trade deadline, but they may not be done. They recently added Mikael Granlund and Cody Cecil and that could only be the tip of the iceberg this year, which hockey insider Elliotte Friedman believes.

"No one thinks Dallas is done," Friedman wrote on Wednesday, via Sportsnet. "Depending on how they handle Miro Heiskanen’s injury status — and nobody’s going to be rushing him back for the regular season — the Stars still have about $5 million in LTIR space. Don’t be surprised if they aren’t finished remodeling the right side of their defense."

The Stars are second in the Central Division with 69 points. They are 10 points behind the Winnipeg Jets and trailing fellow Western Conference contender Edmonton Oilers by three points.

If they want to catch them or stave off the Vegas Golden Knights or Minnesota Wild, they may need to continue making moves. Friedman thinks that's exactly what Dallas will do as the deadline approaches.

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Stars GM discusses new NHL Trade Deadline acquisitions

The Dallas Stars have already made one major addition ahead of the NHL trade deadline as they got Mikael Granlund and Cody Cecil from the last-place San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

The Stars added Mikael Granlund ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline (Imagn)

“We are excited to welcome both Mikael and Cody to Dallas," Stars general manager Jim Nill said, via NHL.com. "We see both players as addressing immediate needs for our team — Mikael is a proven scorer who will bolster our forward group at both even strength and on the power play, and Cody will add a stabilizing and physical presence to our blue line.

"Both players will bring valuable postseason experience to our group, and we are looking forward to seeing their contributions to the Stars as the season continues.”

As Friedman mentioned, their defense has not been in the best shape, but Cecil's addition will help. Granlund will bolster Dallas' offense, which has scored 170 goals this season as they march toward the postseason.