Jim Nill signed a one-year contract to remain general manager of the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. It runs through the 2023-24 season.
The 64-year-old enters his 10th season after he was hired on April 29, 2013. The Stars have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times under Nill, including reaching the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, a six-game loss to the Tampa Bay. Lightning.
“I want to thank (owner) Tom Gaglardi for his commitment to building a winning organization and for allowing (wife) Bekki and myself to call Texas home over the past 10 years,” Nill said. “While we have made some big strides toward our ultimate goal, I am eager to continue my work in developing a winning culture that ultimately brings this team and this city a championship.”
The Stars signed a free agent forward Mason Marchment (four-year contract) and defenseman Colin Miller (two years) in the offseason, adding to a core including forwards Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benndefenseman Miro Heiskanen and goalie Jake Oettinger.
Peter DeBoer was hired as coach June 21 to replace Rick Bowness. During DeBoer’s introductory press conference, Nill said he would “be the GM here for a few more years.”
Dallas was 46-30-6 last season and lost the Western Conference First Round to the Calgary Flames in seven games.
“Jim has done tremendous work in his nine years since joining the Stars, having developed a culture of excellence within our organization that has translated to success on the ice,” Gaglardi said. “He’s re-shaped our club to put us in a position to compete with the League’s best each and every season. Jim’s diligence and commitment to the Stars has reverberated throughout our entire organization and we’re excited for him to continue his work building a championship-caliber team.”
Robertson, 23, remains a restricted free agent. He led the Stars with 41 goals and was second with 79 points in 74 games last season. Hintz, 25, also had NHL career highs in goals (37) and points (72). Oettinger, 23, signed a three-year, $12 million contract (average annual value $4 million) as an RFA on Sept. 2. He was 30-15-1 with a 2.53 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 48 games (46 starts), had a 1.81 GAA, .954 save percentage and one shutout in the first round, and made 64 saves. in a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 7.
“We’re doing a transition, but we still have what we think is a pretty strong core, so it’s going to be interesting to see,” Nill said. told NHL.com in August. “You always have projections where players are going to be. Now the players have to go do it. Let’s see who’s going to grab the opportunities that are available. It’s exciting that way.”
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