Why the Stars traded their first-round pick for Nils Lundkvist

Jim Nill doesn't have a first-round draft pick this year, but he might have something better.

Before last season started, Nill traded his top pick in Wednesday's NHL entry draft to the New York Rangers for defenseman Nils Lundkvist. The former first-pick had hit a wall in his development in New York and asked for a trade. Nill swooped in and grabbed the young right-hander who was taken 28th overall in 2018. Now, the Stars have a player who has already logged 85 NHL games and could be a huge part of the roster next season.

You're not going to get that with an 18-year-old taken with the 29th pick in this year's draft.

"That guy is not a real contributor for four to six years," Nill said of this year's first-round pick. "That's just the way it is. I've got no trouble giving up the first-round pick if I know I'm getting someone under the age of 23 who can be with our franchise for a long time."

Dallas gave up their third-round pick to get Scott Wedgewood two years ago, so this draft will be a little thin. But they still have picks 61, 125, 157, 189 and 221. Dallas has found players like Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson and Logan Stankoven with recent second-round picks, so Nill feels confident they can make this draft productive.

"We're in a good place," Nill said of a stockpiled system that will allow the Stars to focus on the best player available and not worry about position. "I think we've done a good job of replenishing the system, so we have good players in all positions. This year, it will be how the draft goes and who falls to us, and we'll make our decisions. The amateur scouts have done a great job for us, and we feel confident we'll get something good this year as well."

They already have Lundkvist, and that's an impressive get. Now 22, Lundkvist played 60 games and tallied 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) last season. It was an intriguing journey as he was given big minutes early and even spent time with Miro Heiskanen on the top pairing. However, as the season wore on, he was used less and less. Lundkvist averaged 18:05 in October, 17:04 in November, 17:24 in December, 16:24 in January, 15:32 in February and 11:25 in March. His last game was March 23, and he didn't play in the playoffs.

Lundkvist shared scratches with Joel Hanley and Colin Miller, and when Thomas Harley was called up from the minors, it made the group of defensemen that much more crowded. However, Lundkvist did a good job of dealing with the disappointment and still worked hard at practice, always staying prepared to step up in the event of an injury. He said he spent a lot of time watching Heiskanen and learned a great deal.

"He's a good player for me to watch," Lundkvist said at the time. "He makes the simple plays and does the little things right. Those are things I can work on."

Lundkvist had some obvious mistakes that forced coaches to pull back at times, but head coach Pete DeBoer said he was impressed with how Lundkvist reacted and corrected.

"I think Nils had a good year," DeBoer said. "When you look at Nils' development and you look at the other defensemen in his draft class, I think he's right on track. The year before he played 25 games with the Rangers and another 30 in the American League and didn't really dominate at either level, so this year he became a regular NHL player and played on the power play and got some time with Miro Heiskanen and got used to the league and recognized how tough it is. So, he's put some more building blocks on top of his first year and next year he has to add some more again."

The Stars could have another full group on defense, especially with Harley playing in all 19 playoff games and establishing himself as a lineup-regular going forward. And while Nill is a proponent of making players earn everything they get, he believes Lundkvist is on the path to doing just that.

"I know everybody is disappointed he didn't play in the playoffs, but he played 60 games this year," Nill said. "It's his first year in the league and he had a good year. It was a good learning step for him. He knows what he has to go work on. He works hard, he's upbeat, and we're looking forward to his future with us."

DeBoer concurred.

"There is zero disappointment on my part," the coach said. "I think you have to temper expectations with younger players. It's a really tough league to step into, and it's particularly tough for defensemen, and it's particularly tough for offensive young defensemen."

And that's one more reason why acquiring a 22-year-old defenseman with three years of experience in the Swedish Hockey League and two more in North American pro is a pretty good first-round pick in 2023.

"He played 60 games last year. He had six goals," Nill said. "He's a right-handed defenseman and those guys are hard to come by. We're happy with where he is and where he's going."

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 Twitter @MikeHeika.