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Dallas Stars Re-sign Jim Nill, Almost Assuring A Championship

By Josh Clark |
Sep 29, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the ice rink and arena before the game between the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the ice rink and arena before the game between the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Stars made a bold and necessary move yesterday, locking in GM Jim Nill on a five-year extension. This move only gives way to further Stars success, and even the possibility of a Stanley Cup championship. Fingers crossed.

Over the past three seasons, the Dallas Stars have been known for two things: making incredible moves during the summer and then either succeeding greatly or crashing epically during regular season play.

While the second part of that equation is only in the hands of the players, the first part is all up to the front office management. All of that management starts with Stars general manager Jim Nill.

It’s that management that scored Nill a big and well-deserved five-year contract extension with the Stars on Friday.

After enduring a fifth straight season without playoffs in the year 2013, the Dallas Stars were ready for a change, and that change started at the very top. On April 27, 2013, they relieved former player and GM Joe Nieuwendyk from his position and hired Jim Nill as the team’s new general manager. That sent a wave of uncertainty throughout the Stars fan base. Considering that Nill had never been a true GM before, it would be interesting to see what he would do.

Nill wasted no time and quickly got to work in reshaping the Stars organization. On July 4, 2013, he put the Stars in the headlines when he traded away fan-favorite Loui Eriksson and three other prospects to the Boston Bruins in exchange for young gun Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, and a prospect. Before the 2013-2014 season, he also named 24-year old Jamie Benn the newest captain of the Stars.

It’s clear now that both moves have paid off in dividends. The Stars put together a magical season that ended with a brief visit to the postseason. But nonetheless, it was a playoff appearance, something that Stars fans had not tasted in half a decade.

In the summer of 2014, Nill was back in the hunt. He secured veteran center Jason Spezza as the next prime addition to an already-stacked offensive core. Spezza became one of the Stars most consistent scorers and still is to this day.

Last offseason may have been Nill’s brightest ever. In a span of 17 days, Nill successfully acquired veteran goaltender Antti Niemi, sniper winger Patrick Sharp, and dedicated defenseman Johnny Oduya as the newest additions to the Dallas Stars roster. Looking back on all of these trades and the returns that both teams received, it is unbelievable how much greater the Stars end of the deal turned out.

“I think he is more part of the team than most GMs, not so much in the sky but very hands-on,” Stars center Tyler Seguin told Stars Inside Edge. “He’s so involved with everyone and everyone’s family. He’s the ultimate guy and ultimate GM. I am happy he is going to be here for a while.”

Not even three years later, the Stars have gone from the outside looking in to the top of the pack, looking down upon the rest. The Dallas Stars are currently first place in the Western Conference and are in good standing to make a playoff run this coming April. That being said, can we expect a Stanley Cup at this point?

It is highly likely, though it may not be right away. But the re-signing and extension of the brilliant Jim Nill will only further that cause. Taking a look at what he has done in less than three years is simply stunning. He has put hockey back on the map in Texas and turned a team of mediocrity into an all-star caliber squad.

He is locked in until the end of the 2022-2023 season, when he will have just turned 65 years old. But in less than three years, the Stars have gone from close to zeroes to ultimate heroes. Can you imagine what Nill could piece together in the next seven years? Don’t get too ahead of yourselves, but he could end up taking the Stars to the very top. That remains to be seen, but it is a strong possibility.

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“We’re a good team. The core of our team is still young; I think they’re going to get better,” Nill told Stars Inside Edge. “We have some great veteran leadership. When you start talking about the Oduyas, the Sharps, the Spezzas, the Fiddlers, these guys have been around. They’ve won; they’ve battled hard. We got a great setup in Austin with our farm team; we have some good young kids coming. We’re in a good spot. We’re going to get better yet. The coaches are doing a good job. We’re going to be a better team than we are today, and I like where we’re at. We haven’t got there yet, and that’s the challenge with this group.”

It’s an exciting time in the city of Dallas as hockey is once again becoming an elite sport and being hyped up. We have Jim Nill to thank for that. Just personally meeting him a few times, it’s clear that what all the players and staff say about him is true. He is an up-front and personal guy who always makes time for whoever needs him. Nill is the greatest thing that has happened to the Stars in a while.

Next: Stars Are Not Out Of The Woods Yet; Winning Is A Must

Can that lead to a Stanley Cup? We’ll certainly hope so. The Stars take on the Minnesota Wild tonight in a Central Division matchup, and the Stars juggernaut crew assembled by Nill himself will hopefully be in full force.

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