Stars get better defense, playoff experience with trade
By C. BRYSON HULL
Associated Press
IRVING - When Bob Gainey set out to trade for playoff experience and physical durability this week, he found two players in his own image.
In Tuesday's swap just before the trading deadline, the Dallas Stars' general manager acquired two top-rated defensive forwards who have won Stanley Cups with Montreal.
Gainey did that five times in his 16 years with the Montreal Canadiens, and was four times selected the league's top defensive forward.
Many credited Gainey with a bold move for getting center Brian Skrudland and right wing Mike Keane from the New York Rangers in exchange for injured right wing Todd Harvey and left wing Bob Errey.
"We needed to have stronger bite in the overall game, and we felt we needed more minutes from those type of players," said Stars coach Ken Hitchcock.
Both Skrudland and Keane, 35, have the reputation of being virtually indestructible forwards strong at shutting down opposing teams through intense forechecking. Both are good penalty-killers, and Skrudland is known as a faceoff specialist, although he struggled in that area with the Rangers.
"I'll hopefully have the opportunity to do what I probably excel at," Skrudland, 34, said Wednesday. "That's doing some forechecking and some things defensively."
Gainey earned his Hall of Fame berth by putting a stranglehold on his opponent's top lines. And both new Stars probably learned a thing or two from playing alongside their new general manager.
Skrudland won the Cup as a rookie with the Canadiens in 1986, a squad Gainey captained. Keane won it with Montreal in 1993, and broke into the NHL with the Canadiens in the last year of Gainey's career, 1989.
In the 1996 Cup finals, Keane played with the Colorado Avalanche and Skrudland captained the underdog Florida Panthers. Keane went home with his second ring.
In 128 playoff games, Skrudland has 15 goals and 43 assists, while Keane has 19 goals and 24 assists in 116 postseason matches.
That kind of experience makes them valuable pieces for the stretch run, Rangers president Neil Smith has said.
"Players like Brian Skrudland and Mike Keane presented a higher value now than the value they might hold once the playoffs were over," Smith told the New York Post.
But are Skrudland and Keane just short-term rentals for a run at the Cup? Hitchcock said no.
"These players are going to be the glue in our transition to our younger players," Hitchcock said.
And in spite of the fact the Stars had not made any trades since June 22, 1996, Hitchcock has no concerns about introducing new players.
"Brian and Mike have played this type of system before, which has a strong requirement on the forwards to do a lot of the work," Hitchcock said.
Both will debut with the Stars on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"Anytime you get right into the swing of things, and play six or eight games, you mesh quickly," Keane said.
Keane also expressed confidence in playing in front of goalie Ed Belfour, who is having a strong season and whose performance could be a key factor in a lengthy playoff run.
"Eddie's going to play well for us, but he needs a solid supporting cast," Keane said. "We'll give it to him."