The NHL’s best GM for the last three seasons will remain in Dallas for a while longer.
The Stars and Jim Nill have agreed to a two-year contract extension, keeping him in Dallas through the 2027-28 season, the team announced Tuesday..
Nill’s contract was set to expire at the end of this season, which is his 13th with the Stars. Nill is the longest-serving general manager in franchise history and the first to win the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, which he has won the last three seasons. He is the only GM in NHL history to win the award three times.
“Jim has established himself as one of the most respected general managers in the NHL,” Stars Owner, Governor and Chairman Tom Gaglardi said in a statement. “Through his roster management and talent evaluation, he has positioned our franchise to be amongst the best teams in our League in both the present and future. I’m thrilled that he will continue to guide the Stars.”
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Nill has built a Stars roster that reached the Western Conference finals the last three seasons and a Stanley Cup Final in 2020.
He’s made some of the NHL’s most notable trades in the last few years, including his trade with the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of last season’s deadline where he brought in superstar Mikko Rantanen and signed him to an eight-year, $96 million contract extension before he ever arrived in Dallas.
The Stars GM has had great success in all three facets — drafting, trades and free agency. Less than two months after taking his first GM job in Dallas, he made a blockbuster trade that sent 2011 NHL All-Star Loui Eriksson and prospects to the Bruins for Rich Peverley, Ryan Button and Tyler Seguin, who remains a critical piece of the Stars’ roster 12 years later.
He selected standouts like Roope Hintz (2015), Miro Heiskanen (2017), Jake Oettinger (2017), Jason Robertson (2017), Thomas Harley (2019), Mavrik Bourque (2020), Wyatt Johnston (2021) and Lian Bichsel (2022) in the draft. He also made key free agency signings like bringing in Joe Pavelski ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Nill has managed to keep his homegrown players in Dallas, signing Esa Lindell, Johnston, Harley and Oettinger to extensions in just the last two seasons. His next task at hand is re-signing Robertson this offseason when he becomes a restricted free agent.
The GM’s most notable moves this season came ahead of the trade deadline when he added key depth pieces, trading for forward Michael Bunting from Nashville and defenseman Tyler Myers from Vancouver without sacrificing any first-round draft picks.
“I’m fortunate to work with incredibly talented and passionate individuals that have helped our franchise become one of the best in the NHL,” Nill said. “I’m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to continue as general manager of the Stars. My family and I would like to thank Tom Gaglardi for his continued support as we look to bring the Stanley Cup back to Dallas.”
Nill is known around the NHL as one of the most high-character leaders, building a strong culture in Dallas that has attracted many of the league’s top players. As the third-longest tenured GM in the NHL, he’s not only one of the most respected in his sport, but across Dallas, especially in a city where GMs like the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison have come under fire for controversial decisions.
There has been speculation about whether the 67-year-old will retire soon — or whether he would be a top candidate for other GM openings. Toronto parted ways with its GM Brad Treliving Monday night.
But Nill has been steady and consistent in his role in Dallas for over a decade and that will remain for at least another two years.
Nill was a critical piece of one of the greatest dynasties in the sport, helping the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup four times in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He is still chasing his first title in Dallas.