The Daily Goal Horn

Dallas hunts blue-line muscle, and whispers link rugged rearguard Rasmus Ristolainen as the piece to toughen their Cup push. Stars GM Jim Nill eyes deadline deals to shore up a defense that's bent but not broken in tight games. Landing him could flip the Central race, but Philly's price tag tests Dallas' prospect pool.

Canada stumbles short of gold in Milan, while Ottawa's stars grab medals and return as heroes to a Sens squad surging. NHL lineups scramble with Olympic fatigue hitting some harder than others, and GMs scramble to readjust rosters mid-break. This reshuffle sets up massive stakes for the playoff push.

Dallas Stars players snag six medals from the 2026 Olympics, turning Milano Cortina into their personal trophy case. Front office suits pop champagne quietly while the locker room swells with momentum heading into the NHL stretch. This haul boosts morale and trade value across the board.

Team USA's stars flip the script on doubters with clutch plays that echo back to NHL rinks, while others limp home with regrets. Medal rounds revealed true mettle under global spotlight, testing NHL imports against international grit. Those performances now ripple into club lineups, where winners build momentum and losers scramble for deadline fixes.

Dallas whispers grow about Mikko Rantanen sidelined by an Olympic tweak that could bench him weeks into the sprint. Stars medical staff assesses as GM Jim Nill eyes trades to plug the top-six hole without panic. Contender status hangs on his timeline, forcing roster tweaks before the deadline buzzer.

Al Bat names the elite talents dangling as the trade deadline nears, with contenders circling like sharks. Teams weigh massive cap hits against Cup dreams, from Blues snipers to blue-line anchors. One wrong move here alters the playoff landscape for years.

Connor McDavid returns to the Oilers as the Olympic MVP with a record 13 points, ready to chase his sixth Art Ross while Edmonton fights for Pacific supremacy just four points back. Sidney Crosby's lower-body injury kept him out of Canada's medal game, leaving his Penguins status murky as Pittsburgh pushes to snap a three-year playoff skid with their captain leading the team in scoring.

The Dallas Stars enter the trade deadline as buyers with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations, but GM Jim Nill faces a delicate balancing act between adding depth and preserving the future. With over $3.2 million in cap space and all retention slots available, the Stars have the flexibility to make moves, yet the question isn't whether they'll add a top-nine forward - it's what they're willing to sacrifice to get one.

Team USA's Olympic heroes like Auston Matthews and Connor Hellebuyck pack their bags from Milano Cortina and head back to NHL rinks, with front offices buzzing about how their medal runs translate to the playoff push. Matthews dominated for the gold-medal winners, while Hellebuyck anchored the net in ways that have Jets brass dreaming of another deep run after last year's Presidents' Trophy heartbreak.