Stars add speed, experience with acquisition of Cogliano

Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill dipped into the trade market Monday to add some speed and experience to his team's lineup, acquiring veteran forward Andrew Cogliano from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Devin Shore.
"We want to play a faster-paced game, and I think Andrew Cogliano is one of the best at that in the league," Nill said.

The 31-year-old Cogliano, a durable two-way forward and excellent penalty killer, has played 912 games with Edmonton and Anaheim in his NHL career, recording 159 goals and 220 assists. He's only missed two games in his NHL career, and those were due to a suspension last season that snapped his consecutive games played streak at 830 games. He has 65 NHL playoff games under his belt and made it to the Western Conference Final twice with Anaheim.
This season, he has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 46 games.
"His speed is priority one; it's high end. I think you look at his durability. Other than his suspension, he'd be the iron man. He never misses games, which is great for a guy that plays his type of game," said Nill. "He's high-end character. You look at his resume; he's played a lot of hockey, a lot of winning hockey. Anytime you can bring those type of players in it just adds to your team."
Stars coach Jim Montgomery said he expects Cogliano to be in the lineup Tuesday when the Stars play league-leading Tampa Bay at American Airlines Center.
"Initially, I am thinking play on a line with [Jason] Spezza, but he is a guy that can fit in a lot of places. It will be trial by error," Montgomery said.

Montgomery believes that Cogliano's speed will radiate throughout the lineup.
"He's adding another player like [Mattias] Janmark, and Janmark is our best player at stretching the ice, so that gives us guys on two different lines," Montgomery said. "When you have enough guys doing it, other guys see the success they have, and it becomes contagious."
Spezza said he has known Cogliano, who will wear No. 17 for Dallas, for about 15 years and has high praise for the forward's approach to his job.
"He's one of the best professionals I know in terms of preparation, taking care of himself, routines," Spezza said. "Even though he is younger than me, he is somebody that I admire the way he prepares for everything and how serious he takes the game. He is going to add a lot of professionalism to our group. He's fast, he's competitive, great special teams guy on the penalty kill. And he's a guy who will speak his mind when he has to.
"He brings a lot of intangibles not to mention what you guys know about him on the ice."
In acquiring Cogliano, the Stars had to give up the 24-year-old Shore, a player they drafted and developed. Shore played 209 games with Dallas, recording 82 points (29 goals, 53 assists). Shore has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 42 games this season.
"It is tough. They are all tough. We are going to miss him," Nill said of Shore. "In the end, I think this is a move that is going to make us a better team."

While the Stars get more speed with Cogliano, they are taking on an older player with a bigger contract. Cogliano is signed through 2021 with a cap hit of $3.25 million. Shore has a cap hit of $2.3 million, and his contract runs through 2020.
"That's where you decide our needs and what are we losing. We knew we were losing a pretty good player, a good young player who still has more upside to him and I think that is what Anaheim is looking at and they filled their need," Nill said. "And we're looking at somebody to fill those characteristics plus he plays a different game and brings a little bit more speed. You can never have enough of that.
"We need more of that in the lineup. You can never be fast enough. We just want to keep adding to that."
As Stars players came off the ice after Monday's practice, Shore entered the locker room to say his goodbyes. There were handshakes, hugs, and good wishes.
"You're shocked, and your mind is going in a hundred different places at once," Shore said. "And then you take time to process it. You realize how fortunate you are, and it's part of the business, but I still get to play the game I love for a living. It's just another step in the journey."
The Stars drafted Shore in the second round of the 2012 NHL Draft and signed him to an entry-level contract in March of 2015. He made his NHL debut Nov. 3, 2015 at Boston and scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 15, 2016 at Colorado.
"Nothing but good memories," Shore said. "Teammates I played with were incredible, especially as a young guy the veterans were amazing. This is the organization that developed me with all the development camps and gave me an opportunity to live out my dream. It was a blast here, and I'll look on it fondly."

DJ Comeau takes over at practice

The Stars spiced up Monday's practice by playing some music the session. The DJ was forward Blake Comeau, and the musical selections were classic rock.
"He seems to have some kind of music that a coaching staff can bear, so we went with him," Montgomery said.
Forwards Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov did not practice Monday. It was a maintenance day for both players, according to Montgomery.
Players and coaches held a meeting after Monday's practice. Montgomery explained the purpose.
"We just want feedback from them, what they think we are right now and what gives us success," he said. "When we're playing well, what does it look like? That kind of thing."

'No timeframe' for Hanzal, Johns, Methot

Nill said there no real updates on injured players Martin Hanzal (back), Marc Methot (knee) or Stephen Johns (post-traumatic headaches).
"As we move forward, we are hoping to get them back, but there is no guarantee," Nill said. "They are all going through different things, and there is no timeframe. We could wake up with one or two of them feeling good in two weeks. We've got a break coming up here with the All-Star break, they might feel great and be ready to go, or they be back to where they were at the start. That's the great unknown."

The Stars recalled left wing Michael Mersch from Texas of the AHL Monday afternoon. Mersch has 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 29 games with Texas this season.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mark Stepneski has covered the Stars for DallasStars.com since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.