Sergei Gonchar's rather short tenure as a Dallas Star came to an end early Tuesday afternoon with the announcement that the veteran defenseman had been traded to the Montreal Canadiens for 32-year-old forward Travis Moen.
Gonchar, 40, came to Dallas last summer in a trade with the Ottawa Senators, the first move by then-new Stars general manager Jim Nill who was hired in May. The Russian blue liner who was part of Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup-winning team in 2009, brought a wealth of experience to both the ice as well as to the Dallas room.
But one reason Nill made the trade was to free up playing time for young defensemen like John Klingberg, a recent call-up from the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League who could make his NHL debut as soon as Tuesday night at the Arizona Coyotes.
Gonchar has missed the early part of the regular season with a fractured ankle before recently returning, but the fact he had an expiring contract made trading him a viable proposition for Dallas.
"When I was talking to (Montreal's general manager) Marc (Bergevin), he wanted to add some depth defensemen. When you have a player that's expiring in his contract, that's a valuable player. That's something that when the player comes in, you know that you have the opportunity to sign him for next year. You can also do something for the following year. So for Marc, it's a good fit," Nill said. "Sergei's a great player. He's in the last year of his contract, so it gives them flexibility."
In Moen, the Stars are getting an 11-year NHL veteran who has played for Chicago, Anaheim and San Jose before coming to Montreal, a left winger who Nill has been interested in signing ever since his time in Detroit.
Moen will be able to help the Stars immediately on the penalty kill, but that isn't the only reason why he is coming to Big D.
"He's a player that's always been high on my list. I love his character. I love what he brings to us on and off the ice and his penalty killing is a big part," Nill said. "He does a good job killing penalties. That's something we can improve on with our game, but it's really the overall game, what he brings on and off the ice. He plays the game the right way. He's going to bring out the fight from our lineup and I think it's going to be good for us."
Moen knows several current Stars like fellow winger Erik Cole, who he was teammates with in Montreal, and center Vernon Fiddler, a former teammate in juniors, and while he wasn't terribly surprised to learn about being traded by the Habs, he isn't looking back.
Instead, he's looking forward and ready to start a new chapter of his career with his fifth different NHL team.
"Well, obviously excited to be a part of it. I've heard nothing but great things from past players playing for Dallas and some of the current players playing there say nothing but great things about Dallas as a city and the organization," Moen said. "It's a first-class organization and looking forward to getting there and fitting in."
Moen should be in line to make his Stars debut on Thursday night against the defending NHL Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center.
