By now you've probably seen this, but I am going to share it with you anyway in case you haven't. Apparently three teams asked the Stars about the availability of Mike Modano at the trade deadline. According to Mike Heika, Modano simply didn't want to leave.

All three teams who inquired are unknown. Modano acknowledged that the Capitals were one of the three, which would have added extra intrigue to the Stars/Capitals game on Monday. After the lockout we know that Boston and Chicago both pursued Modano on the free agent market. It isn't out of the question to think that offensively challenged Boston was kicking the tires again. How about the incredibly active Coyotes trying to reunite Modano with Dave Tippett? If I had to guess the other two, those would be my guesses.

It shouldn't be surprising to hear Modano was generating interest. At the trade deadline contending teams always sniff around for veteran talent from bad teams. More often than not they target older players, several of which have earned the right to have No Movement Clauses, in the hopes that the player will want to take one last shot at glory. Modano is no Ray Bourque though. He has his Cup, and he is closing in on the end of his career. If you're in his situation do you accept a move though? I'm not sure how I would respond. I would probably stay too.

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For those of you that have never checked it out, Puck Prospectus is amazing. What they are doing for hockey analysis is groundbreaking stuff that any hockey fan, player, analyst, or writer would do well to devour in a few hours on a weekend. On March 9th, Timo Seppa published a playoff prediction based on current record, current points, games remaining, and opponent winning percentage.

Check it out here

His conclusion? Dallas will finish 12th in the West. That would put them in line for the 10th pick in the draft which, I suppose, is a modest improvement on last season. The season isn't over yet though, and the Stars have played some putrid hockey since the Olympics. They could still finish lower than that if any of the SEVEN teams out East projected to pick up less points than Dallas pick up their games even slightly.

If you take a look at the chart, Dallas and Calgary both face teams with an average .605 winning percentage down the stretch which is highest in the league. The Stars are basically playing the Phoenix Coyotes or Los Angeles Kings every night until magical number 82. Good luck with that.

josh.lile@hockeybuzz.com

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