Dallas Stars: Ranking Each Offseason Of Jim Nill Era
By Josh Clark
2. The 2015 Offseason
Notable additions: RW Patrick Sharp, RW Denis Gurianov, D Johnny Oduya, D Stephen Johns, G Antti Niemi
Notable subtractions: RW Ryan Garbutt, D Trevor Daley, G Jhonas Enroth
After the depressing 2014-15 season, many Stars fans were nervous that Dallas was slipping back into their former self. Nill had managed to make each offseason noteworthy up to that point, but all the Stars had to show for it was a wild card spot in 2014 and no playoffs in 2015. That’s not a lot when you secure Seguin and Spezza in back to back summers.
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With the fear settling in, Nill knew he had to make something happen. He knew his team’s strengths and weaknesses, knew the holes that needed filling, and had a good idea on which players to target in the offseason.
He kicked off the acquisition phase a week before the free agency market opened when the Stars acquired Antti Niemi during the NHL Draft. This gave Dallas a veteran tandem to work with. And though it didn’t turn out to be the big fix they had hoped for, it was a viable and excellent alternative in the 2015-16 when Dallas finished first in the Western Conference and each goalie logged 25 wins.
Nill remained quiet on the first day of free agency, which gave Dallas Stars fans some nervous optimism. The goaltending issue had been addressed and the 2014-15 Stars team had played extremely well down the stretch near the end of the season. Was there any need for more changes?
Well, yes there was. Nill acquired Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns from the Blackhawks and signed Johnny Oduya in free agency a few days later. They successfully bolstered their defense, overpowered their offense, and balanced their goaltending all in the 2015 offseason.
And that proved to be the saving grace they needed. The Dallas Stars were without a doubt the most exciting team to watch in the NHL in 2015-16 and fell one win short of the Western Conference Finals.
The question still lingers in regards to what that team might have done if Nill had been able to keep them together for 2016-17. The world will never know.