The Stars on Friday got a head start on Wednesday's NHL trade deadline, sending winger Patrick Eaves to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional draft pick.
There are plenty of conditions tied to the pick, but the deal is a lot like the move that sent Jaromir Jagr to the Boston Bruins in 2013 and landed Dallas the 29th overall pick that allowed them to select Jason Dickinson that year.
Anaheim has three second-round draft picks this year from Ottawa, San Jose and Toronto, and Dallas will get the pick that ends up in the middle once the draft order is announced. Should the Ducks win their first two rounds in the playoffs and Eaves plays in 50 percent of those games, the pick elevates to Anaheim's first-round pick.
The Ducks would be one of the final four at that point, so it would be a late first-round selection, but a first-round pick is pretty good for Eaves, who can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Eaves, 32, has had a career-best year with the Stars. Bouncing back from an injury-riddled previous two seasons in Dallas, Eaves has played in 59 of 60 games and has 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points. Eaves suffered a foot injury early in the year and has participated in almost no practices or morning skates since. He pretty much just skates in warm-ups and plays in games.
Eaves is working out off the ice during practices and morning skates and said that has helped him stay healthy.
"Hard to miss practices, because you want to be with the team and you want to be with the guys," Eaves said earlier this month. "But it is what it is, so I'm just trying to put everything into games and try not to miss a beat."
Eaves said he would rather be practicing but the approach has possibly played a role in his goal scoring.
"I really miss being out there with the boys, so come game time I'm really excited to get going," Eaves said.
Eaves signed a one-year deal for $1 million this season, and that was one reason his trade got done quickly. He fits for teams that are tight against the salary cap.
Depending on what Anaheim decides to do with Eaves, he can still become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and could re-sign with the Stars. But he would command a much higher salary.
The NHL trade deadline is at 2 p.m. Central time Wednesday, and the Stars still have players they could move (Dallas is 10 points out of a playoff spot with 22 games remaining). Patrick Sharp is a three-time Cup winner, so he has great value. However, he has missed 26 games with concussions this year and has a $5.9 million salary cap hit. Defenseman Johnny Oduya also could draw interest, but he has missed 14 games with an ankle injury and probably needs to play at least one game. He could return to the ice Sunday against Boston.
