The Dallas Stars are suffering from an ailment that seems to spread rapidly across the league year after year, disappears somehow over the course of the off-season, just to rear its ugly head again as the latest campaign finds itself racing into full-swing - Defensive Deficiency.
Dallas, currently 9-11-5 and in sixth place in the Central Division, sports the league's worst goals against per games played rate, at 3.52, per NHL.com. They're 25th in the league in shots against per game as well, which means that their case of Defensive Deficiency is particularly aggressive.
It also means that General Manager Jim Nill is actively seeking help along his depleted blueline, TheFourthPeriod.com reported.
According to a source close to the organization, Nill remains on the hunt for defensive upgrades, at both ends of the rink.
The Stars would like to add a top-pair defenseman this season, but understands such a task comes with a hefty price tag.
Right now, the Stars have Trevor Daley taking topline minutes, which is a direct indication of the direness of their Defensive Deficiency situation. The moves for the aging Sergei Gonchar and the still-young Jason Demers were a start, but won't cure the disease on their own.
For a team with such a poor defensive corps, depending almost entirely on goaltender Kari Lehtonen to keep them in the hunt for victory on a, seemingly, nightly basis, a hefty price tag may be worth it to heal this ailment, especially if the return is a cure that could last through the next decade.
Buffalo Sabres blueliner Tyler Myers remains available, but the price tag is significant, while the Arizona Coyotes would entertain offers for rearguard Keith Yandle.
Myers' name has been the subject of trade talk since almost the beginning of the year. The big youngster had been performing below expectation since a rookie season that saw him absolutely burst onto the NHL scene with 11 goals and 37 assists, per Hockey-Reference.com. Thus far this season though, he has played much better. He's still potential more than anything, but he is only 24, and could very easily regain his one-time Norris Trophy-contending form.
Yandle, on the other hand, is a slightly older player who, while he doesn't boast the same type of athletic gifts, is a steady, high-quality presence on the blueline. He managed only 48 games in an injury-shortened 2012-13, but had 53 points last year and currently has 18 in 26 games this season, according to hockeydb.com.
Both players would prove a serious upgrade on the current Dallas defense, but whether or not Myers or Yandle are the cure for what really ails the Stars, remains to be seen.
