Stars Acquire Zuccarello from the Rangers

The Dallas Stars have acquired Mats Zuccarello from the New York Rangers for a conditional 2019 second-round pick and a conditional 2020 third-round pick.

The Stars are currently holding onto the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference but were lacking offensive wingers in their top-6. Zuccarello played the first eight and a half seasons with the Rangers and was red-hot heading into the deadline. Zuccarello had just 14 points (4G / 10A) in his first 28 games of the season but scored seven goals with 16 assists (23 points) in his last 18 contests. Blake Comeau was forced to play out of his depth lately and Zuccarello is a player who could replace him on a line with Jamie Benn and Radek Faksa.

The second-round pick will become a first-round pick if the Stars win two playoff rounds. The third-round pick because a first-round pick if Dallas re-signs Zuccarello. When it’s all said and done, the Stars could get a 2019 and 2020 first-round picks, but a lot needs to go their way. The Rangers also retained 30% of Zuccarello’s salary—$4.5 million AAV.

The Stars made another move on Saturday, acquiring defenseman Ben Lovejoy from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Connor Carrick and a 2019 third-round pick.

As for the Rangers, they benched Zuccarello along with Kevin Hayes and Adam McQuaid, both of whom are expected to be traded prior to Monday’s deadline.