Making moves: Stars send “all in” message, acquire Granlund and Ceci from Sharks

An injury-plagued season for the Dallas Stars was leading to a big decision for GM Jim Nill, and he pulled the trigger on Saturday morning.

Nill acquired forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks, while also placing Tyler Seguin and Nils Lundkvist on long-term IR to make salary cap space. The Sharks received a first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick in exchange for the two veteran players who may be in the lineup as soon as Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"We had two major injuries happen to us, on top of the other injuries we already had," Nill said. "I was very worried where this was going. We've had a good year, we've gone through a lot of adversity between injuries, - tough schedules, travel - there's been no excuses by anybody. They've battled every night, and I think our record is almost the same as last year. That's a compliment to our guys. I just think it was time to give them a little support."

Seguin had hip surgery in early December and is expected to be out for 4-6 months. Mason Marchment was hit in the face with a puck on December 27 and has been sidelined since while recovering from facial surgery. Lundkvist underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. To top it all off, Miro Heiskanen suffered a lower body injury on Tuesday against Vegas and the team has listed him as “week to week.” They are expecting more information after Heiskanen made a trip to see doctors in New York.

Bottom line, the injuries have presented many unexpected challenges and opportunities. It’s also opened the door for the Stars to add some skill to an already talented roster.

Granlund, 32, is in the final year of a contract that has a $5 million salary cap hit. Ceci, 31, is in the final year of a contract that averages $3.25 million. Both fit a current Stars need. Granlund is a skilled winger who led the Sharks with 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 52 games this year. A native of Oulu, Finland, he has played in the past with fellow Finns on the Stars and will play with them again at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He and Matt Duchene were also teammates for four seasons in Nashville.

“He's a very efficient player," Nill said. "Very versatile, can play any forward position, center, wing. Very effective on the power play. His resume, he's a very good penalty killer and he takes draws. He can play up and down the lineup. Great connection with the players here, that was another big part of it. With the Finns, he'll be at the 4 Nations with those guys. Great connection there. But also Matt Duchene, he played with him in Nashville, they were teammates and linemates. Great hockey sense, smart player, sees the ice well."

Ceci is a right-handed defenseman, and that’s important for a Stars team that is losing the right-handed Lundkvist and also had the left-handed Heiskanen playing on the right side for much of his career. Ceci had 25 points (5 goals, 20 assists) and a plus-12 rating in 79 games with Edmonton last season and already has 15 points this year, so he can contribute scoring. However, he is seen more as a steady defender. He was second on the Sharks in average time on ice at 21:46 and led them in shorthanded time on ice per game at 2:54.

“It’s a big get,” Nill said. “Cody is someone we know well. He just played against us in the series against Edmonton. I’ve seen him play since his junior days. He’s a big body, so we gain some size there on the back end. He’s very consistent and just plays a smart defensive game.”

Stars coach Pete DeBoer said he had not been able to talk to the players before his press availability on Saturday morning, but said he is familiar with both.

"Ceci had a deep run with Edmonton and playing in the West against us, so I got a chance to see him quite a bit," DeBoer said. "And Granlund has been in the Western Conference for as long as I can remember back to Minnesota and Nashville. I've always admired his game from the other bench. Both guys will help us.”

Dallas is on a four-game winning streak and is 14-4-1 since Dec. 23, the best record in the NHL over that span. Nill said the timing was right to make the deal. The decision on Lundkvist opened the door to make the Seguin call, and the Stars have four games before the NHL takes a two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. With both Heiskanen and Lundkvist out, adding Ceci fills a serious need on the blue line. And because Nill could get Granlund at the same time, it made the move perfect.

“We’re all kind of walking ourselves through this [timeline] of when is the right time to do it,” Nill said. “I would say the parity and the competition has changed the trade deadline for everybody. It’s tight, and if you wait too long…I think there are going to be other players available, but who knows, there might not be.”

For the players and coaches, it’s definitely an added incentive to finish the season strong.

“It’s a message to our group that obviously we’re all in and giving us a chance to win, which I think is important and deserved for the group for what they’ve done so far,” DeBoer said.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.