Don't tell the Stars, Coyotes, Kings or Ducks that the NHL trade deadline isn't until February. The Pacific Division arms race has begun, with only the San Jose Sharks seeking answers from within. (Update: The Sharks acquired Ben Eager from Atlanta on Tuesday and claimed Kyle Wellwood off waivers – more below).

There have been no blockbuster trades yet. Dallas brought in the marquee name when Jamie Langenbrunner arrived from New Jersey for a conditional 2011 draft pick.

AROUND THE PACIFIC

The veteran right wing, who broke into the NHL with the Stars in 1994-95, had only four goals in 31 games with the Devils.

Langenbrunner is more of an asset on a Dallas team that rolls four lines of talented two-way forwards. In his fourth game since the trade, Langenbrunner scored his first goal Monday as the first-place Stars eked out a win over the fifth-place Kings, 2-1.

The gap between first and fifth place in the division has grown from six points on Jan. 4 to 12 points on Monday.

Langenbrunner has been skating on a second line with Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow. For a team feared to lack scoring depth not long ago, that's not a bad second line – and it's given head coach Marc Crawford the ability to put Jamie Benn and Steve Ott, both 22-goal scorers last season, on a third line with Adam Burish.

The Stars, whose internal budget isn't expected to budge much from its current $52 million (which ranks 20th in the league), don't need to worry about adding any major parts between now and the Feb. 28 deadline. That's a nice luxury.

 

The rest of the division has already started adding for this season.

 

The Kings have only gotten sporadic contributions from forward Marco Sturm, who has four goals and eight points in 13 games since he was obtained from the Boston Bruins for a conditional draft pick. Sturm has shuttled off and on the power play, up and down the depth chart, and from left to right wing and back. The knee injury that kept him off the ice until December seems to have hampered his explosiveness.

 

The Ducks got agitateur savant Maxim Lapierre from Montreal on Dec. 31, and he’s essentially picked up where rookie Nick Bonino left off as a third-line center. Lapierre only has one assist in six games, but with top center Ryan Getzlaf out until February, he gives Anaheim more experience in the faceoff circle, as well as a penalty-killer and a pest.

 

Michal Rozsival still hasn’t played a game since the Phoenix Coyotes acquired the defenseman from the Rangers for Wojtek Wolski. But Wolski wasn’t playing much either, and a veteran second- or third-pair defenseman is a more valuable asset (on paper, at least) as the playoffs approach. Rozsival is currently listed as day-to-day with an abdominal injury.

 

The Sharks were standing pat until Tuesday, when they acquired Eager from the Atlanta Thrashers and claimed Wellwood off waivers from the St. Louis Blues. Atlanta gets a fifth-round draft pick in June.

San Jose made room on its roster by sending forward Andrew Desjardins, right wing Brandon Mashinter and defenseman Justin Braun to AHL afiliate Worcester. Forward John McCarthy was also activated from injured reserve.

Wellwood gives the Sharks some of the veteran depth down the middle they've been missing since Manny Malhotra left for Vancouver as a free agent. Head coach Todd McLellan can use Wellwood behind Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski down the middle if he wants; Thornton, Marleau and Pavelski all played the pivot Monday against Phoenix.

Eager also can slot in on the fourth line and give the Sharks their most skilled fighter since Jody Shelley left last season. The 27-year-old winger can also score a little, with three goals and seven assists in 34 games for Atlanta this season.

San Jose general manager Doug Wilson may still covet a puck-moving defenseman. Tuesday's moves gives the Sharks the type of experience on the third and fourth lines they had up until this season.

Will that be enough to keep pace in the division? There's still time to find out.

Langenbrunner and Sharks forward Patrick Marleau both played in their 1,000th career games Monday. The 31-year-old Marleau became the third-youngest player in NHL history to reach 1,000 games and the youngest to do it with one team. "To reach (1,000 games) at such a young age is such a credit to him and our players were really excited to play this one with Patty today," San Jose coach Todd McLellan said after the Sharks’ 4-1 win over the Coyotes in Glendale. … Phoenix’s loss was its first in regulation this year. … Coyotes rookie D Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored his first career goal in the game. … Ducks RW Teemu Selanne became the 32nd player in NHL history to record 1,300 career points Sunday. His two goals in a 3-2 win over Edmonton gave him 620 for his career, five fewer than Joe Sakic. … Anaheim is confirmed to be one of six teams, along with the Kings, invited by the NHL to start the 2011-12 season overseas as part of the annual Premiere Games. … The Kings honored their former goaltender and GM Rogie Vachon prior to Saturday’s 5-2 win over Edmonton. … An MRI on Kings F Wayne Simmonds revealed no structural damage and he is being listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed lower-body injury suffered Saturday. He missed the Dallas game and won’t play Tuesday in St. Louis.

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