Canadiens Win the Sergei Gonchar Trade, but Deal Makes the Stars Better as Well

A trade involving a bottom-pairing defenseman who's probably older than your dad for a fourth-line forward who has been healthy-scratched this season isn't the stuff of front-page headlines.

But the deal executed Tuesday between the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens has the potential to provide help for two clubs many figured to be in the playoffs this season.

The Stars shipped 40-year-old defenseman Sergei Gonchar to the Canadiens for left winger Travis Moen in a trade that features two unappealing contracts and two players who will provide almost all of their assistance on special teams.

Gonchar's contract expires after this season and features a $5 million cap hit, although the Stars are retaining $400,000 of it. The 32-year-old Moen has one year and $1.85 million remaining on his deal, which is hardly cumbersome but far too much money for someone who plays 10 minutes a night and has been downright awful during five-on-five play.

Gonchar is no prize at even strength either, but where the Canadiens would like him to pay dividends is on the power play.

Entering Tuesday, Montreal's power play was converting 7.7 percent of the time, third-worst in the league. P.K. Subban (3:44) and Andrei Markov (3:39) have played the bulk of the minutes on the man advantage on the point with Tom Gilbert (0:52) and Nathan Beaulieu (0:35) picking up the scraps.

Subban and Markov have combined for one goal and one assist in a little more than 50 minutes of power-play time, according to Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com. With an average of 1.1 points per 60 minutes this season, the duo is far below its combined average of about 3.25 points per 60 minutes last season.

The argument can be made that they are being misused at times, that coach Michel Therrien isn't using them enough on their offsides to have a consistent threat of a one-timer. But no matter the reason, the production from the two players who matter most on the power play hasn't been good enough.

The obvious place for Gonchar is on the second unit in place of Beaulieu, where he should play far more than 35 seconds per game on the power play, which is essentially the beginning of an even-strength shift when the penalty expires.

Gonchar played 76 games last season and made his presence felt on the power play. He had a goal and 12 assists on the man advantage, averaging 4.26 points per 60 minutes during five-on-four play. Gonchar played about 2:28 per game on the power play last season and figures to match that and eat into Markov's power-play minutes with the Habs.

The issue with Gonchar will be five-on-five, where he posted a Fenwick close to 49.6 percent against middling competition while playing nearly 18 minutes per game overall. If Gonchar is displacing Beaulieu, who clocks in at 48.4 percent so far this season, that could theoretically be an upgrade for Montreal.

Throw in the fact that Gonchar would be moving from the Central Division (the league's best) to the Atlantic Division (arguably the worst), and life could be easier for the veteran. It depends on what Gonchar has left in the tank and how Therrien dishes the minutes, but if he's only playing 10-12 minutes per night at even strength, this could be a really nice upgrade.

Francois Lacasse/Getty Images

The same can be said about Moen in Dallas.

The Stars' penalty kill has been almost as bad as the Habs' power play—Dallas has killed just 76 percent of penalties, ranking it 26th in the league. Adding Moen to the forward mix may not only make the Stars better while short-handed, but it could make them worse at even strength.

Moen has posted a Fenwick close to 32.1 percent in nearly 52 minutes this season, which is dreadful even for a fourth-liner. That's far below his numbers in recent seasons, which are usually in the mid-40s, but it's troublesome to think he'll now be taking regular minutes in the fierce Western Conference.

The Habs were fourth in penalty-killing last season and fifth this season, and Moen has been a big part of that success. Moen hasn't been on the ice for a power-play goal against this season, and the team's penalty kill as a whole is above 90 percent when he's in the lineup.

But with so many young forwards pushing for playing time (who are quite frankly better), it was only a matter of time before Moen was dealt. 

With the Stars, in a way, he's replacing someone who hasn't played a game this season. Rich Peverley's scary incident involving his heart stopping last season may have ended his career, and the Stars have been trying to spread his short-handed minutes between a few players, and it hasn't been working. Peverley was an excellent penalty killer who has been sorely missed this season.

Jamie Benn, one of the 10 best forwards in the league, has been playing 1:16 per game short-handed, which isn't much but is nearly double his ice time last season. If this deal frees Benn to play even two more shifts at even strength, it's a minor, indirect part of the deal that benefits Dallas.

The move also frees salary-cap space to make a secondary move, but general manager Jim Nill said that this trade was about making his team better now. It also doesn't hurt to move Gonchar when the Stars have a slew of promising young defensemen ready for more responsibility.

The Stars and Habs are mirror images in a lot of respects and made a mutually beneficial deal. 

A slight edge goes to the Habs, as Gonchar can have a bigger impact on both special teams and five-on-five, while Moen's short-handed prowess may be offset by his ineptitude at even strength.

All statistics via NHL.com and stats.hockeyanalysis.com.

Dave Lozo covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaveLozo.