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The Dallas Stars have been playing solid hockey this season and it seems like they’re going to be able to make a strong playoff run. They recently made a trade with the San Jose Sharks to acquire both Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci proving they’re trying to bring in assets to help better their chances of winning a Stanley Cup and only moved out a first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick for the pair.
Related: Stars Hit Home Run With Granlund & Ceci Trade
In today’s news and rumors column, we will touch on the possibility of extensions for both new players who are pending unrestricted free agents, as well as some injury updates as the Stars look to get themselves back to full health for the remainder of the season.
Stars Interested in Extending Granlund & Ceci
After the trade with the Sharks, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Stars were open to extending both Granlund and Ceci past the 2024-25 season and were hoping to get something done before their contracts expired. Both players had openly been happy with the Sharks and were open to playing there past this season despite them being in a rebuilding stage, but now they have joined new teams and time will tell if they decide to extend or not.
Ceci, who is 31 years old, was traded to the Sharks from the Edmonton Oilers in the offseason as a cap dump. This season, he has scored four goals and added 11 assists for 15 points through 55 games. Throughout his career, he has scored 52 goals and added 174 assists for 226 points through 841 games which comes out to a 0.27 points-per-game average. His defensive play has come into question previously, but he could prove to be a solid depth defender with the Stars, even as just a rental asset.
Granlund, who is 32 years old, earned an assist in his debut game with the Stars. He has scored 15 goals and added 31 assists for 46 points through 53 games this season and earned a spot on Team Finland for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. Throughout his career, he has scored 172 goals and added 418 assists for 590 points through 872 games which comes out to a 0.68 points-per-game average.
He could be a strong depth forward as a proven offensive producer and should be able to help the Stars make a deep run into the postseason. All eyes are on them now as the team is interested in re-signing them, but are the players interested in returning? Time will tell. They both could be eyeing raises on their next deals, and the Stars have over $27 million in cap space for the 2025-26 season, and could easily afford to extend both players by giving them competitive offers to try and keep them around.
Mason Marchment Scores In Return From Injury
Mason Marchment had missed 17 games due to a facial injury and undergoing surgery following his exit from a game against the Wild back in December of 2024. On Sunday (Feb. 2), he scored a goal on two shots and was able to help the Stars pick up a huge 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In a corresponding move with activating Marchment from injured reserve, the team sent forward Kyle McDonald and defender Christian Kyrou back to the American Hockey League (AHL).
The Stars are back in action on Tuesday (Feb. 4) when they take on the Anaheim Ducks.
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