The Dallas Stars and general manager Jim Nill have not, by any means, had a quiet off-season. Here’s their best moves power ranked.
With the Dallas Stars set to take on the newest NHL franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, on October 6th, the team is coming into its own in terms of roster structure. This, of course, would not be possible without the amazing work of Jim Nill and the front office over the off-season.
From the first day of the 2017 off-season on (literally; the Stars announced that Lindy Ruff had been relieved of head coaching duties 14 hours after their last game), Nill has been hard at work to field a team that replicates the success of the 2015-16 Central Division champions. Building a team with immense speed, skill, chemistry, and dependability was the number-one priority.
Nill has been extremely successful in that aspect. 10 major moves this off-season have allowed the Dallas Stars to become Western Conference favorites once more; many national writers have noted that no team has improved more over the off-season than the Stars have.
While it’s no question that Jim Nill has even more work to do – having nine NHL defensemen on the roster is a no-no – his body of work this offseason to not only address imminent needs but also boost the preexisting strengths of the club is extremely impressive.
While Nill has made a career out of surprising every NHL fan and pundit, this could be, for what it’s worth, his most productive and effective off-season. Not even 2013’s Tyler Seguin trade, or the Jason Spezza deal the following year can equate to such.
The off-season moves made by Nill and the front office extends far and wide. Here is a look at the ten best moves Nill has pulled off over the 2017 off-season.