Shooting Stars: The Potential Impact of Andrew Cogliano

The Dallas Stars have been the model of inconsistency this season, which prompted the management team to make a trade. The Stars acquired forward Andrew Cogliano from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Devin Shore. The trade has pros and cons to it, but regardless Cogliano has the potential to make an impact on the Stars lineup.

Addition of Speed and Veteran Presence

The 31-year-old Cogliano will bring the addition of his speed to the Stars lineup, which is needed. He can use his speed to create and make the opposition’s defensemen back into the zone instead of being able to attack. His acceleration can be used to get in behind some defensemen and start the forecheck, which might lead to some more offensive zone time and possibly more scoring chances. Cogliano should be able to use his speed to get to loose pucks and open up the ice for his teammates. The quickness of Cogliano should help to stretch the ice, which can help the Stars transition the puck out of their zone a little bit easier and possibly defend less.

The Stars have some veteran leadership on the ice, but a team can always use more of it especially in the locker room. The forward has played 912 of a possible 914 career games, and the only two he missed were due to a suspension last season. He puts the work in on and off the ice, which could have an impact on the younger players in the lineup.

Improve the Penalty Kill

The Stars already have the ninth best penalty kill in the NHL, but with the addition of Cogliano it could be even better. Cogliano plays both ends of the ice so he’d be a good addition to the penalty kill. The Stars have four shorthanded goals, but if they add Cogliano to the penalty kill then his speed could make an impact here as well. The forward would be able to get down the ice and potentially get some shorthanded breakaway chances. He won’t block many shots, but he gets good positioning and keeps his stick in the lanes to keep the opposition from getting the pass or shot that they wanted.

Depth Scoring and Line Combination Options

The Stars have four major players that contribute to the offense and three of them play on the same line most nights. The top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov have combined for 115 points so far this season. These three players are also the top three leading point getters for the Stars. The Stars have lacked scoring depth all season long and the addition of Cogliano could really help generate secondary scoring and balance out the line combinations.

Cogliano could play on either the Stars’ second or third line. There’s always a possibility of playing on the top line but that has been a good line and Seguin has been playing much better of late so why break it up at this point? If he slides onto the second line with Jason Spezza then it would balance out the lines and add speed to that second line. Cogliano is averaging third line minutes this season and he’d be a really good defensive fit to play against team’s top lines while adding some scoring depth to the bottom six of the lineup. No matter where he plays, he’s going to play a solid defensive game and use his hustle to create.

Cogliano Will Make an Impact

The Stars did get older in making the trade, and they took on a higher cap hit along withan additional year with Cogliano’s contract versus Shore’s contract. The potential impact of Cogliano in the Stars lineup versus him not in the lineup makes this trade a good one for the Stars. It’s not a matter of if he will have an impact, but when the impact starts to be seen because the addition of Cogliano will influence the Stars in a positive way.