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FRISCO -- Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk said there were some potential deals that he had to sort through prior to Monday’s NHL trade deadline, but when it came time to make a decision he liked where his current team stood and decided to let the players know.

“At the end of the day we had a responsibility to put the best team on the ice right now to challenge to make the playoffs,” Nieuwendyk said. “There’s no doubt I’ve been pleased with the way we’ve been playing lately. I know we have a tough road ahead, but it’s also a message to this team that we do believe in them and that this group has shown some resiliency.”

So, Nieuwendyk stood pat at the deadline. He opted not to move a player like Steve Ott, who was believed to be highly coveted. Sheldon Souray, another guy the Stars probably could have dealt, stayed as well.

“No moves today,” Nieuwendyk said just after the deadline passed Monday afternoon. “A pretty uneventful day league-wide, it seemed, but our plan has been pretty consistent, we weren’t going to do anything unless it made sense for now and for the future. Nothing in that regard really presented itself. I think it made it challenging in the last few weeks, too, with the way our team has performed and that’s a good thing, because they really stepped up and shown they were here for the fight.”

The Stars have won four straight games, moved into a playoff spot and are now putting heat on some of the teams ahead of them in the standings. They are just one point out of seventh and just three points out of both sixth place and the Pacific Division lead.

“The way I look at this deadline is we’ve got some pretty good players coming back to us in Brenden Morrow and Jamie Benn, so let’s not forget about that either,” Nieuwendyk said. “With the boost of energy that Ryan Garbutt has given us, we have some pieces that are going to help us going forward here. “

Benn, who has missed the last six games with a leg injury, is expected to skate with the team on Tuesday, and could play Wednesday. Morrow, who has missed the last 13 games with neck, shoulder and back issues, could start skating later this week.

The return of those two players will be a big boost to a team that has turned things around of late and seems to be getting things in order at the right time.

“Three weeks ago, it was hard to figure out what our team was all about, we were having a lot of difficulties, so that’s been encouraging to see how this group, in the absence of Benn and Morrow, how they’ve really come together,” Nieuwendyk said. “I think Mike Ribeiro, Michael Ryder and Loui Eriksson have stepped up and provided what a number one line should provide and we’re getting great minutes always from the (Vernon) Fiddler line. I think Adam Burish has stepped his game up, I think a lot of guys have stepped their game up and said, ‘Hey, we got to make a push here.’

“We’re in the soup with about five other teams for those final two playoff spots and I think our guys are believing now, now that we’ve beaten a team like Vancouver, that we’re going to be a tough opponent.”

FRISCO -- The Dallas Stars were quiet as the NHL trade deadline passed at 2 p.m. Monday. The Stars made no trades on what was a pretty quiet deadline day around the NHL.

"No moves today," Nieuwendyk said. "It was an uneventful day league-wide it seemed. I think our plan has been consistent, we weren't going to do anything unless it made sense for now and the for the future going forward. Nothing in that regard really presented itself. I think it's made it challenging in the last few weeks with the way our team has performed, and that's a good thing. They've really stepped up and shown that they are really here for the fight. That's a good thing going forward."

The Stars have won four straight games and are in a playoff spot right now, one point out seventh place and only three points out of the Pacific Division lead.

Nieuwendyk said Jamie Benn, who has missed the last six games with a leg injury, is expected to practice Tuesday and could play Wednesday.

Captain Brenden Morrow, who has missed 13 straight games with neck/shoulder issues, could begin skating later in the week.

The NHL’s trade deadline hits at 2 p.m. CT and by then or shortly thereafter all the speculation about what the Dallas Stars may or may not do as far as trades will end. We will have all the answers. For now, all we can do is speculate.

It’s easy to get caught up in the Stars’ recent little run here and lose sight of the big picture, which is the future. The Stars want to be consistent contender, not a team battling for a lower playoff spot year in and year out. To build that is going to take a little time. The Stars want to do that by getting younger and building around Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson, Alex Goligoski, Trevor Daley and Kari Lehtonen.

It’s also tough to ignore the Stars’ little run here and where they sit as Monday’s deadline looms. They are in a playoff spot, just one point out of seventh place, three points out of sixth and three points away from the Pacific Division lead. At the same time, they only have a three point margin over eleventh place. Nothing is secure here. They haven’t locked up anything. There’s a lot of hockey left to be played.

So, the Stars are in a spot where they’d like to try to balance the present and the future as much as possible, but things still tilt towards the future. Stars owner Tom Gaglardi, who has made that clear several times, did it again on Fox 4 Sunday night.

“It’s important to make the playoffs. We are trying very hard to do it, but I don’t think it’s the biggest goal in the world for us right now,” Gaglardi said. “What we want to try to do is make our team better for longer. We think it’s a playoff team and as a consequence, Joe Nieuwendyk is listening to a lot of teams who are preying on some of our older, better players. Those are conversations we think at today’s cycle, where we are as a team, we have to listen to.”

So that means they are going to listen to offers for a guy like Steve Ott. He is the kind of player teams covet at the deadline. He can win faceoffs, kill penalties, bring physicality and grit, and pop in some goals, too. And for the Stars, he can bring a nice return.

But the Stars listening doesn’t mean they are going to move him. It will take a great deal for someone to pry Ott out of Dallas, and the Stars are going to need a young player who, I believe, can will help them now and be a part of the plan moving forward.

The Stars will listen to offers for other players as well and it likely will be the same scenario – it will cost to get them. Mike Ribeiro’s name has been in the rumor mill. Other names probably will come up as well. They should listen.

Again, listening doesn’t mean they have to do anything. Could they do nothing? Sure. No reason to make a deal just to make a deal. If there’s a deal that fits what you’re trying to do, make it. If there’s nothing there, don’t. Could they do some minor deal to help them now? That’s possible, too. The playoffs may not “biggest goal in the world right now,” but it is still a goal and something like that isn’t going to derail the master plan, which is to get better in the long run.

MONTREAL -- Vernon Fiddler caught the attention of the assembled media in the visitors' dressing room Tuesday.

"Hey, did you hear about the trade?" the Dallas Stars center jested.

A dozen heads immediately turned his way. And then he smirked, satisfied his little prank had gotten the necessary mileage.

Ah yes, less than a week removed from the NHL’s trade deadline, everyone is on edge.

None more so in the Stars' dressing room than Steve Ott and Mike Ribeiro, both of whom have heard their names in the rumor mill. And indeed, sources confirmed to ESPN.com that the Stars have gotten calls on both and would consider moving them for the right deal.

"It obviously makes you a little nervous," Ott told ESPN.com after the morning skate. "I’ve been with the Stars since I was drafted. When your name gets mentioned in the rumors, it gets to you a little and you think about it. But truthfully, I do take it as a huge compliment. Obviously if there’s playoff contending teams that think I’m a puzzle piece, I take that as a compliment. But I want to stay here. I want to be part of the solution. But I can only control what I can control."

Ribeiro, who has another year on his contract next season at $5 million, is taking the rumors in stride.

"If I’m traded, I’m traded, not much I can do about it," Ribeiro said Tuesday. "Obviously I’d like to be here with the Stars. I want to re-sign here and stay with Dallas for the rest of my career. But you can’t control that. There’s a few more days and we’ll see after the 27th if I’m still here."

Ribeiro’s limited no-trade clause allows him to select 10 teams he doesn’t want to get traded to, leaving 19 teams for the Stars to deal him to if they chose to do so. Ribeiro, and we’re not sure if he was joking or not, said he’d welcome a trade back to Montreal if the Stars were to move him, although I don’t think the Habs are interested.

With tremendous offensive ability, Ribeiro could be an intriguing option for a team looking for top-six offensive impact. But the other year on his deal will scare off some teams that would rather trade for a rental.

Ott, meanwhile, has two years left on his deal after this season which carries at $2.95 million cap hit but pays him $3.2 million in salary. The agitator concedes he likes to follow some of the trade rumor coverage that’s out there.

"Yeah I do," Ott smiled. "I love the media stuff and I find it interesting what people have to say. You also have all your friends and family that are texting you asking you about some of these rumors. It’s nerve-wracking in the sense that Dallas is my base. I’ve been there so long that I can’t really fathom anything else."

The Stars will be an interesting team to watch over the next week. While they could easily be a playoff team this season, I get the sense from talking to sources around the league that GM Joe Nieuwendyk has his eye on the big picture and wants to help improve his team with the long view in mind. He could make a move or two over the next week that surprises people.

Richard Durrett has a column on how the Dallas Stars should approach matters with the NHL trade deadline less than three weeks away.

Here's an excerpt:

The smartest thing Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk can do the next few weeks is resist the temptation to let the standings be his guide.

The trade deadline is less than three weeks away, and the Stars are one of a gaggle of teams vying for one of the final playoff spots. One night they look like they're capable of getting there, behind strong goaltending from Kari Lehtonen and just enough key plays at the right moments, but the next night they can't score a big goal or finish off an opponent to get a win.

So it's safe to say more than halfway into the season that the Stars 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.

For a team in danger of missing the postseason party for a fourth consecutive season, it might sound odd to advocate even more patience. But that's what's needed now. Making a move or two to bolster this current edition only -- at the price of some young talent, for instance -- won't help create a big winning window of opportunity in the future.

You can read the full column here.

ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun has some trade deadline items related to the Dallas Stars. GM Joe Nieuwendyk told LeBrun time will tell how the Stars approach the trade deadline. Obviously, how the Stars do over next few weeks will dictate the plan moving forward.

"I think it’s a little early yet," Nieuwendyk said. "I think all these teams will have a better idea in a few weeks depending on how things shake out. There’s a lot of tire-kicking going on, but we’ll have to see how things work out."

LeBrun also has a brief item on Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Grossman could spark interest if the Stars don't sign him to an extension prior to the deadline, which is Feb. 27. You can read the latest from LeBrun here.

Also, a reminder that tonight's tilt against the Ducks is on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

Here's where you can find the game in the Dallas Fort Worth Area, according to FSSW.

AT&T U-Verse - Ch. 692 (1692 HD)
Charter Cable - Ch. 300
DirecTV - Ch. 680 (680-1 HD)
Dish Network - Ch. 448 (9518 HD)
Time Warner Cable - Ch. 960 (requires digital cable box)
Verizon FIOS - Ch. 77 (577 HD)

For people outside Dallas/Fort Worth, click here to find out where to find the game in your area.

Also, this Saturday’s game vs. Minnesota (Feb. 4), which was originally scheduled on FOX Sports Southwest Plus, has been moved to TXA 21. Saturday’s game begins with the Ed Belfour Hall of Fame Recognition Ceremony at 7 pm.

And the April 7 home game vs. St. Louis has been moved from TXA 21 to FOX Sports Southwest Plus.

Despite all the rumors and speculation, Brad Richards didn’t go anywhere before the NHL trade deadline. Surprised? Not really. On board with how it all played out? I’m OK with it.

Let’s face it, some not so likely things had to fall into place for Richards to get moved before Monday’s deadline. Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk, who didn’t appear keen on moving his No. 1 center in the first place, was going to have a great offer sitting in front of him to move forward on the trade front.

And, if he could find some team willing to make that offer, all Nieuwendyk could do was go to Richards and ask him if he was interested in waiving his no-trade clause. And then there was no guarantee that Richards, who seems to be happy where he is right now, was going to do that.

In other words, when you look at all the variables involved a deal seemed unlikely. That would have still have been the case even if Nieuwendyk had been willing to take less in a deal because there was still the hurdle of Richards agreeing to waive the no-trade clause.

All that said, I am still on board with keeping Richards regardless of the difficulty factor in moving him. I am more of a let’s deal with today and worry about tomorrow when it rolls around kind of guy. Focus on getting into the playoffs now and worry about Richards and his looming unrestricted free agency later.

There’s not much Nieuwendyk can do about Richards and any kind of contract extension right now because of the unresolved ownership situation. Richards made it clear today that he’d wants to know who the new owner is before he puts his name on any long-term deal.

There was something Nieuwendyk could do about improving this team’s playoff chances, and that meant keeping Richards. The Stars, who have missed the postseason two straight years, are in the middle of a tight playoff race and Richards is their top scorer and their best forward. He’s a big game player, the kind of guy they are going to need down the stretch. Chances are they wouldn’t get that in a deal, especially if it was a move to get something so you don’t lose him for nothing.

“I was not of the mindset that I should take what I could get,” Nieuwendyk said. “That’s not what this is about. I believe in this group. I’m about winning right now and making the playoffs. That’s very much an important thing for this franchise and Brad Richards gives us our best chance of doing that.”

And that’s where we are.

Are the Stars going to make the playoffs? Don’t know. Look at the standings. It’s pretty tight and there are a lot of good, competitive teams battling for a limited number of spots.

Are the Stars going to be able to re-sign Richards? Don’t know. The ownership issue is still up in the air and who knows when it will get resolved.

But keeping Richards to enhance his team's playoff chances and buy a few extra months to see if the ownership issue gets resolved seemed like the better option for Nieuwendyk.

It’s NHL trade deadline day. The deadline is 2 p.m. Central Time, which is the time for trades to be submitted to the league for approval. That means news of trades can still come in after the deadline, so keep your ears and eyes open after the deadline passes just in case.

Besides the Brad Richards watch, the Stars could look to add some defensive depth. You can never have enough defensemen for a stretch drive and the playoffs. Of course, there are a lot of other teams probably looking to do the same thing, so it’s not a given.

While there is always a lot of focus what teams do right at the deadline, let’s remember the Stars did a lot of dealing prior to the deadline. They traded for Jamie Langenbrunner and signed Jason Williams to add to the forward ranks and bolstered the defense with the acquisition of Alex Goligoski.

ESPN.com has a trade deadline chat starting at 9 a.m. Central Time.

The Stars practice in Frisco this morning after having yesterday off. We’ll see where they stand after the deadline dealing is done and then it’s on to a big road trip through the Pacific Division.

The Dallas Stars will be center stage as Monday’s 2 p.m. (CT) NHL trade deadline approaches because of center Brad Richards. Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk must decide if he wants to try to trade his No. 1 center or risk losing him via free agency later this summer.

The situation is complicated by several factors, including that Richards has a no-trade clause, the Stars are right in the middle of a tight playoff race and there's a couple of question marks: In the short term, there’s Richards’ health (he’s missed the last six games with concussion-like symptoms), and in the long term, there’s the status of Dallas’ ownership situation. And there’s the question of just how much a team should give up to get Richards when it could possibly land him on July 1.

Here’s a look at some of the issues surrounding Brad Richards before Monday’s deadline.

The Richards factor: It usually takes just two teams to make a trade, with both teams getting something they want or can use out of a deal. In this case, it’s going to take two teams and Richards, who has a no-trade clause and ultimately has final say over whether two teams can finalize a deal. In other words, Richards is in control.

Richards is in a good position now and he can be patient. He’s on a team that he likes and it is a team in the middle of a tight playoff race. He can let the season play out and go from there.

It’s just a hunch, but chances are Richards would like to see the Stars’ ownership issue get resolved before committing to a long-term deal with Dallas. There's nothing wrong with him wanting to know who's going to be running the show and what the plan is before he decides to commit to putting his name on what could be his last big, long-term contract.

There’s a chance Dallas’ ownership situation gets resolved and the Stars are in a better position to work out an extension prior to July 1. If that doesn’t happen, Richards hits the market on July 1 as the most coveted free agent and will be in a position to work out a great deal that will take care of him over the next several years.

The Stars: The Stars are in a situation teams face every season at this time of the year. They have a player in the final year of a contract, approaching unrestricted free agency and, for whatever circumstances, are having issues signing the player to an extension. They have to decide whether to try to get something for him now via a trade or risk losing him for nothing in free agency.

It’s a tough call for Nieuwendyk because his team is right in the middle of a tight playoff race, and after going through a lot of injuries (including one to Richards) and a recent slump, his team has started to get healthy and is starting to get its game in order again.

Richards isn’t just any player. He is, after all, the team’s top forward and leading scorer.

Adding to the dilemma is that Richards is only 30 years old, has a lot of good years ahead and can be a big part of the future if the Stars can find a way to keep him long-term.

Still, a Richards trade can bring a lot in return and if Nieuwendyk can work out a deal that would benefit the Stars, and Richards agrees to the deal, he’d have to consider it. But it would have to bring a lot in return and set the Stars up for the future.

The health issue, etc: Those teams that could be pursuing Richards at the deadline -- the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings have been hot in the rumor mill -- have their own issues to consider.

The short-term one is Richards’ health. He’s missed the last six games with concussion-like symptoms and, while he is skating and his condition is said to be improving, there is still no timetable for a return. It’s not exactly the kind of injury in which you can pencil in a target date for a return.

A second issue is how much a team should give up for a player when it could possibly land him on July 1, when the free-agent market opens. It’s going to take an impressive offer for Nieuwendyk to approach Richards about waiving that no-trade clause. And chances are any team that lands Richards would have to think it has a good chance of re-signing him prior to the deadline.

The Dallas ownership situation: If there’s no deal to move Richards by Monday’s deadline, there’s no guarantee that he’ll ever hit the free-agent market. There’s still a chance he could end up staying in Dallas. A lot will depend on what happens with the still-unresolved Dallas ownership situation. The financial boost from a new owner puts the Stars in a better position to sign Richards, who, again, would probably be more inclined to re-sign with new ownership in place.

If there’s no trade on Monday, that leaves four months for the ownership situation to get resolved. That’s a lot of time and a lot can happen. From all indications, the situation with the sale of the team is moving along. How long it will take to get it resolved is an unknown. If something gets done in time to put the team in a better position to re-sign Richards, that’s great, and if it doesn’t, Richards likely hits the market. Or the Stars could always trade his negotiating rights and get at least something in return.

Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk was on NHL Live! this afternoon and talked about Brad Richards, who is a hot topic with the NHL trade deadline looming on Monday. Here is what Nieuwendyk had to say about the possibility of trading Richards before Monday's 2 p.m. deadline.

"I've discussed it with some teams. All options are in play here. It's certainly not my first choice. I've maintained all along that we'd like to keep Brad as a Dallas Star for a long period of time. There's a lot of uncertainty with our side as far as ownership that are a concern for them. But all options are open. It's certainly going to have to be a good type of deal in order to pry him away from us because we’re sitting tied for eighth right now and have a lot of home games coming up in March."

DALLAS -- With the NHL trade deadline coming so soon after the Olympic break, teams are checking out players like crazy in the next few weeks.

Among the scouts at Wednesday's game up in the press box are those from Vancouver, Washington, Nashville, Atlanta, Carolina and the New York Rangers.