DALLAS -- Erik Cole was one of several Dallas Stars veterans with expiring contracts likely to be on the move prior to the 2015 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday afternoon.
And on Sunday evening, about 30 minutes prior to the puck dropping on the Anaheim Ducks and the Stars game from American Airlines Center, Cole was not on the ice for pre-game warmups, which happened about the same time that a report from ESPN's Pierre LeBrun said Cole had been traded to the Detroit Red Wings.
"Yeah, Erik's been a big part of our team. I've been watching Erik play now for the last probably 12, 13 years and this might have been one of his best years he's had," Stars general manager Jim Nill said during the first intermission of Sunday's game.
"He's been a big part of our team. Unfortunately, there's a part to it of where our team's at and where we're building you have to make those decisions and we just want to thank Erik. We think we got some good young prospects out of it, some draft picks and we'll go from there."
Cole, 36, who had most recently been skating on Dallas' top line alongside captain Jamie Benn and veteran center Jason Spezza, came to Dallas in Feb. 2013 from the Montreal Canadiens in a trade that sent Michael Ryder to Montreal.
Cole had 33 points (18 goals) in 57 games for Dallas this season.
The veteran left winger appeared in 160 games for the Stars and registered 69 points (40 goals). Cole also appeared in three games for Dallas in their 2014 Western Conference First Round series against the Anaheim Ducks last spring but had no points and was minus-3.
Besides Cole, the Stars also sent a conditional third-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft to Detroit in the deal. The Red Wings will keep the pick provided they make the Eastern Conference Finals. Otherwise, the pick will go back to Dallas.
The Stars receive two former Red Wings draft picks, defenseman Mattias Backman and center Mattias Janmark, along with a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft for Cole.
Backman, 22, was a fifth-round pick (146th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft. He appeared in 18 games with Detroit's top minor league affiliate this season, Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, but is now playing in his native Sweden for Linkopings HC.
"I was with Detroit when we drafted him," Nill said of Backman. "He's a defenseman, a good puck-moving defenseman. He's very close to being an NHL-ready defenseman, just needs to gain strength in that but real good skill, good hockey sense."
Janmark is also 22. The young centerman was a third-round pick (79th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft by Detroit. Janmark is currently playing for AIK in his native Sweden.
Nill was no longer with the Red Wings when Janmark was drafted almost two years ago, but like Backman, he had nothing but positive things to say about the young Swedish forward. "Janmark, real solid, all-around typical Swedish forward. He plays the game the right way both ways; good defensively, good offensively and we look forward to getting him over and seeing where his development's at," Nill said.
Detroit is the fifth different team Cole will play for, joining the Carolina Hurricanes, who he won a Stanley Cup with in 2002, the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal and Dallas. The Red Wings (35-15-11) are currently third in the Atlantic Division with 81 points.
Toward the end of his nearly five minutes of addressing the media, Nill made it a point to say that by no means does the trading of Cole signify that the Stars are raising the white flag on the rest of the season.
"It's a great opportunity for these young kids. We've lost a great veteran player and now this is an opportunity for these young guys. We're auditioning and we're not throwing in the towel," Nill said. "We still want to keep winning and it's up to these guys to grab the opportunity."
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