Dallas Stars’ Jim Nill Finally Has Shot At GM Of Year
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars’ success over the past three years can be attributed to one aspect: their general manager Jim Nill. He finally has a shot at winning GM of the Year at the 2016 NHL Awards.
On April 27, 2013, the Dallas Stars received a 3-0 trouncing from the Detroit Red Wings that closed the book on another failed season.
As the game slowly rolled on with only Detroit fighting for their playoff lives, many Stars’ fans, including myself, received a notification on their phone or through social media. It said that Dallas Stars were planning to part ways with general manager Joe Nieuwendyk in hopes of going a new direction.
They found this new direction when they hired an assistant GM of the Detroit Red Wings by the name of Jim Nill. With the Dallas organization enduring five seasons of hockey with no playoffs, Nill needed to act quickly and efficiently.
He hit the nail on the head, and on July 4th, 2013 the Dallas Stars made a monumental splash when they traded for superstar forward Tyler Seguin. Along with acquiring Rich Peverley and Shawn Horcoff as well, the Stars looked as though they may be back in action.
With a new logo and some bright and prominent new jerseys, the Stars took to the 2013-2014 season with a new look, and it worked. Dallas clinched the final wild card spot in a highly-competitive Western Conference and participated in their first Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2008.
Though they were knocked out in the first round, the Stars were beginning to shine again after half a decade in the dark. Led by young captain Jamie Benn and the new recruit Seguin, the Stars had a seemingly bright future ahead.
But Jim Nill had no plans of being satisfied with what he had. The second-year GM hit the ground running on July 1st, 2014 by trading for Jason Spezza. He also signed veteran winger Ales Hemsky.
His two-year reconstruction of the offense paid off in the season ahead. The Stars became a fearsome attack in the offensive zone, scoring 261 goals. Yet, they fell seven points below the qualifying bar and missed out on the postseason. Why was that?
The defense and goaltending. It was one of the worst showings behind the blue line that the Stars had seen in a long time, and making the playoffs would require improvement.
That’s all Jim Nill needed to know. He once again made a giant splash in the 2015 offseason, trading for Antti Niemi, Patrick Sharp, and Stephen Johns and signing Johnny Oduya.
With the improvements, the Dallas Stars took the reins in the 2015-2016 season. By the end of it, they were Central Division champions and first place in the Western Conference. They advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where they eventually fell in a hard-fought seven games.
But this season was considered a great success. It’s been a decade since the Stars were division champions, and they achieved it in the toughest division in hockey.
In three simple seasons, Nill has turned the Dallas Stars from a consistent .500 club to a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. He has made blockbuster trades that all seem completely one-sided now.
The Stars’ GM is one-of-a-kind. He’s proven that for each offseason since 2013, as well as during the season. He’s made trades during the season that have proved effective, made plenty of strong and worthwhile draft picks, and put together a superstar lineup that is feared by many. I mean, not many other teams have a superstar like Jason Spezza as their second line center.
And now Nill finally has a chance to win the annual GM of the Year award at the NHL Awards ceremony on June 22nd. While some have been calling for him to be a nominee for three years now, he is now one of the three finalists for the 2016 award. That being said, he has quite the competition to put up with.
The three finalists are Nill, Jim Rutherford of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Brian MacLellan of the Washington Capitals. It is the first time to be a finalist for all three of them.
The 30 GMs in the league as well as a panel of NHL executives and select media members voted on the winner of the award at the conclusion of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As you know, the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals were eliminated in the second round, while the Pittsburgh Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.
While that definitely plays a factor in the final voting, none of the voters knew that the Penguins would eventually win. But they did know that Pittsburgh was the only team to advance.
Rutherford spent his offseason like Nill, trading and signing superstar talent. He made one of the biggest trades of the 2015 offseason by acquiring F Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rutherford also picked up F Nick Bonino in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, as well as signing F Eric Fehr and F Matt Cullen.
During the season, he also completed trades for defenseman Trevor Daley and forward Carl Hagelin. But the biggest move he made during the season was hiring Mike Sullivan to be the new coach midway through the season. The Penguins flourished under the new bench boss and offensive overload and made their way to their second Cup in seven years.
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MacLellan also flipped the script in Washington. After a first round exit from the playoffs in 2015, the Caps underwent an offseason of little, but significant moves. By signing Justin Williams and trading for T.J. Oshie, the Capitals stocked their offense and quickly became the best team in the NHL, winning the President’s Trophy with 56 wins and 120 points.
All three have a valid reason to win, and each deserves a tip of the cap. So whoever wins, you can be sure that they earned it.
It may seem after examining all of the resumes that Rutherford has the best argument. But just remember that Nill has been making these massive improvements on a consistent basis since taking over. Just look at what he has done to the Dallas Stars’ franchise in three years. He has put hockey back on the map in Texas. Oh, and if it’s any consolation, just remember that the Stars swept both of these teams.
The awards are just a couple of days away, and it will be interesting to see who wins GM of the Year considering how close the race is. Keep a watchful eye on NBCSN to see how Nill fares. You also get a chance to see if Jamie Benn wins the Hart Trophy and/or the Ted Lindsay award and if Lindy Ruff takes the Jack Adams award.
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It’s going to be a fun show to say the least, so be sure to tune in to the 2016 NHL Awards at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22nd on NBCSN.