Why would Tampa do that deal, is OEL going to play 3rd pair RHD?

If the Stars are in playoff contention, they aren't going to trade a defenseman that has helped them get there (Honka). The Stars issues have come because we take terrible contracts for veteran players that are declining quickly (Hjalmarsson falls in that category). You'd be better off looking at our prospects in the AHL or CHL instead of trying to trade for a guy on our NHL roster.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson would be on the bottom pairing in Tampa, And seeing that he's seeking between $8 million to $9 million per season. That would be plain foolish.

That's a fair point. You're right, DAL would more likely trade a player that wasn't on their active roster in order to build for the playoffs. The trade was based off of Honka's current status on the team and was partially based on how his development with DAL has been lagging this season. A fresh start somewhere might be good for him. If Honka was still in limbo with DAL and DAL also gained a D with cup experience and solid 1st round prospect like Merkley, who is producing in his first year in the AHL, I think they might think about it. Hjalmarsson could also act as a bit younger and a short term fill in for Hamuis, play similar games a this stage of their career. Fair to make those arguments?

Absolutely. Honka has been grossly mismanaged by the last two head coaches (Hitchcock & Ruff). Should the next guy come in and do the same thing, I absolutely think they should move him before the deadline before he turns into another Oleksiak or Nemeth (both of whom are doing really well on their respective teams). With Pateryn and Hamhuis becoming free agents, I fully expect Honka to finally become a full-time player for Dallas. If he is still the 7th defenseman, we definitely need to get something out of him before his value plummets further.