On Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks made a blockbuster trade. They sent forward Patrick Sharp and defenseman Stephen Johns to Dallas for defenseman Trevor Daley and forward Ryan Garbutt. This was a deal that would relieve the Blackhawks of Patrick Sharp’s $5.9 million salary. Chicago had to make this trade to shed salary.
According to ESPN, Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman knew it wasn’t easy to trade a superstar like Sharp but felt it had to happen saying, “We thought it was important to acquire some ready-made NHL players. Obviously, it’s difficult trading away an established player like Patrick Sharp and a very good young player in Stephen Johns — he’s got a nice career ahead of him. But we felt we wanted to continue to add pieces that can contribute to our team next season, and we’re excited for that.”
Patrick Sharp has spent the last ten years with the Chicago Blackhawks scoring 239 goals and 272 assists in 679 games. In his career, he has 249 goals and 277 assists for 526 points. In the playoffs his game excelled. During 128 career playoff games with the Blackhawks, he had 42 goals and 38 assists for a total of 80 points. This contributed to the Blackhawks winning three Stanley Cups in the last five years. This is an excellent trade for the Dallas Stars. The Stars have added one of the best forwards in the game. If the Stars put him on the line with Jason Spezza, it’s a nice one-two punch. They can both set each other up for goals and can put the puck in the back of the net.
Dallas definitely improved heading into this season. Before acquiring Sharp they added a goaltender who won a Stanley Cup. That was Antti Niemi. Niemi agreed to a 3-year $13.5 million contract during free agency. Niemi helped Chicago win the cup back in 2010.
The moves made by the Stars state that they are serious in trying to make the playoffs as well as winning a Stanley Cup. Dallas made the playoffs in 2014 but lost to the Anaheim Ducks, 4 games to 2 in the first-round. The last time the Stars won the Stanley Cup was in 1999. Their last appearance in the final was in 2000 when they were knocked off by the New Jersey Devils in six games. We will need to wait until the start of the season to see how enhanced this team really is.
What do you think of Stars acquiring Patrick Sharp?
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