Jim Nill Signs 5-Year Extension with Dallas Stars
By Ryan Ritchie
Jim Nill Signs 5-Year Extension to Stay-On as GM With Dallas Stars
Announced Friday morning, the Stars have extended general manager Jim Nill for five years, which keeps him in Dallas until 2022-23. Nill is in his third season as GM, and the team is currently ranked 2nd in NHL standings, just behind Washington. The Stars made the playoffs in Nill’s first year in 2013-14, but missed the playoffs last season.
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via NHL.com,
"“In just over two years, Jim has helped instill a culture of excellence within our organization and extending that partnership to 2022-23 is vital for the direction of the hockey club,” Stars owner and governor Tom Gaglardi said. “From the day he stepped into this role, he has displayed tremendous decision-making in the re-tooling of our group and we’re excited to build upon the foundation that has been laid. We feel he is one of the best general managers in our League and we are thrilled he is so committed to us.”One of Nill’s first moves with the Stars was hiring Lindy Ruff as coach. He’s also made a number of shrewd moves to rebuild the roster. In July 2013 he acquired center Tyler Seguin from the Boston Bruins; in July 2014 he traded for center Jason Spezza from the Ottawa Senators; and in July 2015 he acquired two important pieces from the Chicago Blackhawks, trading for forward Patrick Sharp and then signing free agent defenseman Johnny Oduya.Nill also has revamped the scouting staff, including hiring Joe McDonnell as director of amateur scouting. Among the players McDonnell and his staff have selected since the 2013 NHL Draft are forward Valeri Nichushkin and top forward prospects Jason Dickinson, Denis Gurianov and Roope Hintz, and defense prospect Julius Honka.Prior to joining the Stars, Nill spent 19 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, including 15 as assistant general manager, and was part of four Stanley Cup championship teams.“Jim Nill was on everyone’s short list for a long time and being able to hire to him to lead the hockey department was monumental for the Dallas Stars,” alternate governor Jim Lites said. “He’s brought a stability to our franchise and the commitment he’s shown by extending his deal five years displays just how confident he is in our young core group of players. He and his wife, Bekki, are our great friends and truly tremendous people. We’re lucky to have them as a part of the fabric of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”"
It’s a small sample size to judge upon for Jim Nill’s short tenure thus far. He’s made some impactful moves in his three short years though.
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After fleecing the Boston Bruins into trading their young superstar Tyler Seguin, Nill has managed to continue adding top-tier players (Jason Spezza, Antti Niemi, Patrick Sharp, etc).
The hire of Joe McDonnell as Director of Amateur Scouting prior to the 2013 NHL Draft is another significant change for the Stars. The previous years saw Dallas swing and miss with several high-end draft picks.
1st Rounders Since 2004-05 NHL Lockout:
2004: Mark Fistric (28th)
2005: Matt Niskanen (28th)
2006: Ivn Vishnevskiy (27th)
2007: no pick
2008: no pick
2009: Scott Glennie (8th)
2010: Jack Campbell (11th)
2011: Jamie Oleksiak (14th)
2012: Radek Faksa (13th)
Next: Columbus Blue Jackets Left With Hole to Fill
We’re yet to see the full impact of Joe McDonnell’s draft picks. Valeri Nischushkin is the only one to have made an NHL impact so far. The difference with this new scouting department is their ability to find quality gems late in the draft. The NHL’s elite teams nowadays are able to find players anywhere in the draft, putting Dallas on a course for success in the immediate future.