Dallas Stars' Marty Turco: Trade Bait in Waiting

Maybe you've experienced it at a company you've worked for, a team you were on, hell, maybe even a relationship you were in.

You see changes going on around you that you have no control over and make little sense.

Eventually, you see enough change to bring you to the realization that you, may in fact no longer be a part of what's going on around you.

You've got to think Dallas Stars' goaltender Marty Turco is feeling this way.

After the team turned in a very solid performance in 2007-08, going all the way to the Conference Finals, the 2008-09 season was one every Stars player must want to forget.

Let's review.

First, there was the "interesting" signing of Sean Avery during the summer to a four-year $16 million deal.

This was a move orchestrated by then co-GM Brett Hull.

Hull thought that the fire and what is often referred to as "passion" Avery would bring to the team would allow the Stars to get a little tougher and grittier, and build on the success they had during the previous playoffs.

This signing ended up redefining what failure means as a GM.

Even before "Sloppy Seconds-gate," Avery was a distraction at best and a damaging influence at worst.

His teammates didn't really like him, he didn't really like them and, other than spouting off every chance he got, he never really did much on the ice.

Avery played only 23 games for the Stars last season before being suspended by the team, forced into counseling and then eventually waived and picked up by the New York Rangers.

Hoping to move on with their season, the Stars tried to put the whole Sean Avery fiasco behind them.

But, by that time, their captain, Brendan Morrow, was kissing his season goodbye as he sustained a devastating knee injury after playing only 18 games.

In addition to Morrow, Dallas' most talented defenseman, Sergei Zubov, missed all but 10 games of the season due to hip surgery and top offensive player, Brad Richards, sustained wrist and hand injuries that limited his action to 56 games.

And it get's worse!

Their lone star left standing (thanks, I'll be here all week), Marty Turco, had the worst season of his career (including college) finishing with a 2.81 GAA and an abysmal .898 SV%.

Dallas managed to put together a relatively decent string of games midway through the season but eventually fizzled out again and missed the playoffs.

As a result of the poor season, Dallas ownership decided to replace co-GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson with former Star and Hall of Famer-to-be, Joe Nieuwendyk.

Within weeks of taking the position, Nieuwendyk decided the first change he needed to make was behind the bench.

On June 10, 2009, Dave Tippet, one of the longest serving coaches in the NHL, was fired.

This was a perplexing move as not even Scotty Bowman could have managed to get a team with so many distractions, so many injuries and so few good breaks into the playoffs.

To think that their lack of success was due in large part to Dave Tippett's coaching seemed a little strange.

Stranger still was Nieuwendyk's pick for Tippett's replacement, one Marc Crawford.

Crawford was fired from his last two coaching positions (LA and Vancouver, respectively) and was occupying an anylist's chair at CBC when he was tapped (astonishingly quickly) as the new head coach of the Dallas Stars.

True, Crawford won a Stanley Cup in 1996...with Patrick Roy in net and Joe Sakic leading the team...but, his days as a top notch coach are far behind him.

Other than adding Crawford to the bench, the Stars had virtually no movement over the summer, save the subtraction of Sergei Zubov.

The defensive stalwart bolted for the KHL at the end of July and will not be back in Dallas this season.

What does all of this have to do with Marty Turco being trade bait?

Well, none of this bodes well for Dallas' chances of getting into the playoffs this season.

Crawford hasn't seen playoff action since 2004, they've lost their top defenseman and they've got 12 games scheduled between the Ducks and Sharks.

Not a recipe for success in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

If the Stars are on the outside looking in at the trade deadline, you've gotta believe Turco, who will be a UFA next summer, will be the first guy they look to move for as much as they can in return.

The alternative would be to keep him, miss the playoffs, and then hope to negotiate a new contract during the summer.

This would not be an easy task for a team that has missed the playoffs for two straight years.

Granted, if his poor play is the reason the Stars are out of a playoff spot, his value will be lessened.

But Turco has proved to be the reason for Dallas' success (the only NHL team for which he has ever played) more often than the cause of their failure.

Marty Turco is still a good goalie and most teams looking for a new No. 1 or 1A goaltender at the trade deadline would give up a fair amount to get him.

All the changes in Dallas, so far, don't look like they're going to be for the better.

That being the case, I wouldn't be surprised if Marty Turco didn't put up a new air freshener in his locker this season.