The Dallas Stars are more than halfway into the season and their only consistency is that they are an inconsistent team. They aren't good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup, but they haven't given up hopes of making the playoffs, either.
One night they look capable of making the playoffs, behind strong goaltending from Kari Lehtonen and just enough key plays at the right moments like an overtime goal from Mike Ribeiro that made ESPN's top 10 plays in a 3-2 win over Calgary. Then there are other nights where they struggle to score a big goal or finish off an opponent to get a win.
With the trade deadline still weeks away and the team fighting like mad for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk made a roster move which seems to indicate the organization is going to take a "patience" attitude and build for the future.
The Stars shipped 27-year-old star defenseman Nicklas Grossman to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2012 second-round pick and a 2013 third-round pick. Grossman was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
"We all want to make the playoffs and would like to think this team has the character to make a push for the playoffs," Nieuwendyk said, "but I also have a responsibility to have discussions with teams, and I think you have to keep an eye on the future."
In other words: If there's a deal that makes sense for the club, Nieuwendyk won't be afraid to make it, even if it appears to sacrifice something in the short term.
For a team in danger of missing the postseason party for a fourth consecutive season, it might sound odd to advocate patience. But that's what is needed now. Making a move or two to bolster the current club at the price of some young talent won't help create a big winning window of opportunity in the future.
Nieuwendyk's first priority has to be making this team better for next season and the seasons after that. If he can satisfy that goal and his current team still makes the playoff, that's great. But he can't get into a make-the-playoffs-this-season-at-all-costs mindset right now.
GM Joe has identified some of the core players he believes will help lead the Stars to contention in the future. The headliner of that group is Jamie Benn. The club's best player is just 22 years old and should only get better. Goalie Lehtonen is also part of that group, as is Defensemen Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley, both of whom have long-term deals with the club. So does Loui Eriksson, a 26-year-old forward with plenty of skill.
Now the club must get some more pieces around them in the form of hungry, young players with upside and a few veterans who can help hold everything together.
And exercise patience, even if it means no playoff hockey in the Big D for yet another year.
