The rich got richer at the NHL trade deadline.
The Dallas Stars' 41-20-2 record is the third-best in the NHL. They have the fourth-best goals-per-game and the fourth-best goals-against-per-game, partially because they have the best penalty kill in the NHL. They're a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Then they added Mikko Rantanen, who immediately became their top scorer.
The Stars paid a high price for Rantanen — two first-round picks, two third-round picks, and the 22-year-old Logan Stankoven — but he immediately makes them more dangerous, adding a top-end offensive threat to one of the deepest teams in the league.
"We're playing a powerhouse tomorrow," said Rick Tocchet after Saturday's practice, adding, "I think balance is something they're very good at. Their fourth line can score, their 5-6 defencemen can score. Listen, you give Rantanen a couple looks, he's going to put it in, so we've got to limit their looks."
The odds are against Quinn Hughes being on the ice to help limit those looks. The Canucks' captain, who is currently day-to-day, didn't practice with the team on Saturday, so it seems unlikely that he'll be back on Sunday against the Stars.
In his absence, Filip Hronek has stepped up in a major way. In the eight games that Hughes has been out of the lineup since he suffered an injury on January 31, Hronek is a point-per-game, with one goal and seven assists, while also leading the Canucks in ice time by a wide margin.
Tocchet also praised him for his leadership and mentorship.
"He's playing with Junior — Pettersson. I think that's a big thing," said Tocchet. "He's taken him under his wing. That's my favourite thing, when veteran players take a young guy, they spend time together, they're on the bench, they're talking — that's invaluable stuff for the development of a young player like him. I've got to give Fil a lot of credit for that."
Hronek has been making a strong case for carrying his own defence pairing even once Quinn Hughes returns, but with Marcus Pettersson and Tyler Myers showing plenty of chemistry in a shutdown role, there's really no need. But there's hope that Hronek can build confidence from this stretch and play at a the same high level alongside Hughes.
麻豆传媒映画Canucks projected lines
Barring a sudden return from Hughes, it's likely that the Canucks will return with the same lineup that beat the Minnesota Wild.
With that in mind, here are the Canucks' projected lines, which will be updated closer to game time if the Canucks change things up in warm-up:
The Canucks' starting goaltender will be Kevin Lankinen, who is coming off an outstanding performance against the Wild, making 37 saves on 38 shots.
Dallas Stars projected lines
Rantanen responded to the trade to the Stars with a goal and an assist in his first game on Saturday, though it should be noted that the Stars still lost 5-4 to the Edmonton Oilers and Rantanen was on the ice for three goals against at even strength.
Unsurprisingly, Rantanen stepped directly onto the Stars' top line alongside Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. That spot has often belonged to Wyatt Johnston this season, who has 24 goals and 60 points in 63 games, but Johnston is now centring the Stars' third line.
That's how deep the Stars' lineup is, that a nearly point-per-game player is on their third line. They are very strong up the middle with Hintz, Johnston, and Matt Duchene, who has 25 goals and 64 points in 63 games. That could present some difficult match-ups for the Canucks.
Hintz, however, is questionable for the game after taking a puck to the face against the Oilers. He went to the hospital for evaluation and it's unclear if he'll miss any time.
Pending an update on Hintz, here are the Stars' projected lines:
UPDATE: No Hintz tonight, as he has flown back to Dallas for further evaluation. Here are the updated lines:
Jason Robertson - Wyatt Johnston - Mikko Rantanen
Mason Marchment - Matt Duchene - Mikael Granlund
Jamie Benn - Mavrik Bourque - Evgennii Dadonov
Oskar Bäck - Sam Steel - Colin Blackwell
Thomas Harley - Ilya Lyubushkin
Esa Lindell - Cody Ceci
Lian Bichsel - Matt Dumba
Casey DeSmith
Jake Oettinger
On defence, the Stars are still missing Miro Heiskanen, who had knee surgery in February. He likely won't return until after the playoffs have started. Even without Heiskanen, the Stars have a strong group on the blue line, led by 23-year-old Thomas Harley.
The Stars' starting goaltender is expected to be Casey DeSmith after Jake Oettinger played against the Oilers on Saturday. This will be DeSmith's first start against his former team since the Canucks let him walk in free agency.
