The Stars were looking for answers after stumbling out to a 1-5 start (but have since recovered to 8-5). With that start, the Stars did an analysis of what was happening and who was the competition in the West. The two items that really stood out was a lack of power play success and that their goaltending did not stand up to Tim Thomas in Anaheim, Cam Ward in LA, Pekka Rinne in Nashville, Steve Mason in St. Louis, and Ryan Miller in Calgary. 

The Stars were also facing many players with 2 year contracts all coming up together. While the Stars started talking to the Rangers about Nabakov and several other teams after news of Nabakov leaked to the press, they made their first move with the Vancouver Canucks. Think power play and one thinks of Sergei Gonchar. However, Gonchar's salary would require a complex deal if the Stars were to also leave cap room for a possible Nabakov deal. 

The Canucks deal sent Blake, Sturm, Bieska, Walker, prospects Brown and Johnson and a #2 for Gonchar, Ponikarovsky, Wisniewski, and Tambellini. This trade will help the Stars power play as they can now roll out Crosby, Sharp, Iginla, Keith, and Gonchar on PP1, and Staal, Ponikarovsky, Gaborik, Kaberle, and Wisniewski on PP2. 

Moving Sturm and Blake helped shed salary to afford Gonchar and Nabakov and moving Blake and Bieska both upcoming UFA's would help in being able to resign Nabakov. Part I of the Stars problems with the PP was fixed. Next came goaltending. 

The Stars were in serious talks with the Rangers about Nabokov and the NYI's for Fleury (Shawn get ready for e-mails from other teams with offers). Fleury provided a long term solution with a better salary, but the selling price would be much higher. 

Nabokov had the better ratings and experience, but is older and an upcoming UFA that will take big dollars to lock up. Key to either deal is that Craig Anderson (who was acquired in the offseason for Olesz and Weekes) was off to a great start in the NHL and will rerate very well in the NAIHL. In the end a deal was reached to ship Anderson and blue chip prospect Gustafsson to the Rangers for Nabakov. 

The West and Southwest division, in particular, are loaded and it will be tough for any team to survive and represent the West in the Cup finals. However, with these moves the Stars are giving notice that they will not go down easy and expect to be in the thick of the battle all year long. We like our ability to put the puck in the net on offense, like our balance of defensive d-men and puck movers on defense, and now we have a veteran goalie who has already won one Cup with the Coyotes and will be hungry for a second one in Dallas. 

 
Submitted by Stars