Heika: A conversation with Stars general manager Jim Nill

BOISE, Idaho -- Stars general manager Jim Nill is starting his sixth season with the team. He sat down with DallasStars.com senior staff writer Mike Heika during training camp to talk about some key issues.

Mike Heika: What have you seen from Jim Montgomery's first camp and how he and the coaching staff are interacting with the players?
Jim Nill:From the coaching staff to the players, it's very clear they are on the same page. The players came in very focused after what happened last year. And the coaching staff has a good plan and is putting it in quickly.

Heika: What have you seen from the new coaching staff so far? You hired both Rick Bowness and Todd Nelson in the offseason, what do you think they offer?
Nill:It's a top-notch group. Rick Bowness has been around for years and is just such a professional. Todd Nelson has been successful at so many levels, and has the capability to be a head coach. Stu Barnes is a young guy who is great with the players, and Jeff Reese, who has been great with the goalies. It's a group that really gets along and has an open dialogue. They have good interaction and they respect each other when someone speaks up.
Heika: Jim Montgomery said the other day that he wants his assistant coaches to speak up. He said a coach who coaches the power play could have a good idea on how to improve the penalty kill, so he should speak up. Do you agree?
Nill: I think that's Jim Montgomery's biggest asset. He is a great communicator, with staff, with his players, -- and that's important. It doesn't matter what you do in life, communication is important.

Heika: It's an interesting balance of a person who has the ego to be a head coach, a person who has to make the final decision, but who also is open to other ideas.
Nill: I don't know if it's ego or a competitive nature, but we all have that drive. But I think there is a respect for the game and for other people in the organization that we all know we're better when everyone works together.
Heika: How do you rate your first trip to Boise for training camp?
Nill:I think our staff has done a great job making everything flow smoothly. Boise has been outstanding. This was a trial run, and it's gone better than we thought. Between the rink and the hotel setup, the people, how they have opened their arms. It's a beautiful city. It's been a great thing, and now we get going. It's every other day now, and things go fast, but that's a good thing. That's a chance to improve.

Heika: What are your impressions of rookie defenseman Miro Heiskanen so far?
Nill:We have to keep in perspective that he's 19. The game can humble you, so we want to let him be himself. He's a great player. He has great potential. He has been everything we thought he would be.
Heika: Your group of defensemen could be pretty young, and both Heiskanen and Julius Honka are just starting to become NHL regulars. Does that concern you?
Nill:That's part of the game now. They've got to get experience somewhere, and we think they're in a good place. Each one is ready. Some of them may not have a lot of NHL experience, but they have a lot of experience in other key situations. We're talking about guys who have played in the Olympics, World Championships, World Junior -- those are high-pressure experiences.

Heika: Honka has almost 200 AHL games under his belt.
Nill:He's not a young guy anymore. He's ready. He's ready.
Heika: What are your impressions on Val Nichushkin in his return after two years in the KHL?
Nill:I think Val has been very good. He's excited to be back and his teammates are excited he's back. I'm looking forward to seeing him.

Heika: What's the difference in the player who left two years ago?
Nill: When he first came here, he was 18 years old coming to a different country. That's a big adjustment, and when you combine that with playing in the best league in the world, that's a hard adjustment for anyone. I thought he handled it well. When he left, he had to make the decision he wanted to make. But it wasn't as big a deal for us. He was still young, and now I think we have an even better player coming back. He's more mature. He's played for the national team in Russia, he's played for one of the best teams in Russia. We're getting a more mature player.
Heika: Many fans are worried about lack of depth scoring. Are you worried about it?
Nill: I know people are worried about it. I'm not worried about it. It's not a big issue for me. I think (Jason) Spezza is going to have a better year, (Mattias) Janmark is going to have a better year, (Devin) Shore is going to have a better year. There are a lot of players who can do more, and if everyone adds three or five goals apiece, it adds up.Then you start adding players like Nichushkin and (Blake) Comeau, and I like what we have there.

Heika: You also seem to have a good battle on the fourth line with the potential for Devin Shore, Brett Ritchie, Jason Dickinson, Roope Hintz, Gemel Smith and Remi Elie fighting for three spots in the lineup. How do you feel about the battle there?
Nill:I think we have a great competition there. We have a good group of players who are young, big, strong and they can skate. And with how we're going to play the game under Jim (Montgomery), I think they'll benefit from that. That's the part of the team that I don't know if people understand just how big a role they will play.
Heika: Do you think you need to add another big name player?
Nill: We're moving forward with this group. We're always looking, we're always talking to teams, and we're always seeking to improve, but I said from Day 1 over the summer that this is our team. I love our depth where we're at. I think we're going to get more from a lot of different players. We're a year older -- we have more experience, we're going to be better. I like where our team is at, and when we do get Marty Hanzal (spinal fusion surgery) back and fully healthy, he's going to help us. If he gets added in November or December, that's a big addition. Then, when you add Nichushkin, Heiskanen, Comeau, (Roman) Polak and (Anton) Khudobin, I think we have added to our team.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.