The NHL offseason is a time to improve and prepare for the season ahead, and Jim Nill knows how to get the job done. Here is each offseason ranked in his time with the Dallas Stars.
It was April 2013, and things looked bleak for Texas hockey. The Dallas Stars were closing out yet another failed season that ended without a postseason berth, making it five straight seasons without playoff hockey in Dallas.
The team just couldn’t seem to get it together. And when things aren’t working, it’s not the players on the ice that take the heat; it’s the front office and coaching staff.
And take the heat they did. Within hours of the Stars closing out their season with a 3-0 loss at home to the Detroit Red Wings, GM Joe Nieuwendyk was relieved of command.
He was replaced immediately by a bit of an unknown name: Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill. It was a bold move to give someone like Nill the reins at such a critical point for the franchise, but considering the powerhouse that the Red Wings had been, there was plenty of faith.
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Fast forward four years and look at the Dallas Stars now. To say they are a completely new team would be a slight understatement. With each passing offseason, Nill has wasted no time in building up his roster, seeking out the best possible options in a given offseason and bringing a bright superstar class to Big D. In other words, he has put hockey back on the map in Dallas.
The results, oddly enough, have been mixed. Though Nill seems to take each offseason by the horns and get the most out of a chance at turning his roster into a contender, the Stars have only qualified for the playoffs in two of the four seasons with him at the helm.
But that doesn’t downplay the fact that he always seems to have the Dallas Stars in the spotlight during the summer months. Whether it’s a big signing or a blockbuster trade, Nill always finds a way to get the Stars involved.
With that, let’s take a look at each of Nill’s five off-seasons as general manager and rank them based on their overall strength.