Stars announce extension for General Manager Jim Nill

FRISCO, Texas-- Dallas Stars Owner and Governor Tom Gaglarditoday announced that the club has signed General Manager Jim Nillto a two-year contract extension through the 2025-26 season.

"Jim has proven himself to be one of the best general managers in the NHL," Gaglardi said. "He has meticulously built a team through free agency, trades and the NHL Draft that's among the best in the League, while also ensuring that the Stars are championship contenders for years to come. He'll be able to continue his vision of working toward our goal of bringing another Stanley Cup to the state of Texas."

Nill, 65, enters his 11th season with the Stars, having served as the team's 11th general manager and sixth GM since moving to Dallas. During Nill's tenure, the Stars have amassed a record of 403-280-98 and have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in six seasons (2013-14, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22 and 2022-23), including two trips to the Western Conference Final (2020, 2023) and an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final (2020). The longest serving general manager in franchise history, Nill became the first GM in team history to win the Jim Gregory General Manager of the the Year Award following the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign, which recognizes the work of the top general manager in the NHL.

"My family and I are grateful to Tom Gaglardi for his commitment to the organization and giving me every resource available to build this team," Nill said. "I'm fortunate to have an incredible team of individuals alongside me that have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help build our team into what it is today. I'm excited to continue my work in developing a winning culture and reaching our shared goal of winning the Stanley Cup."

Last season, the Stars posted 108 points in the regular season with a record of 47-21-14, their highest point total since 2015-16. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team advanced to the Western Conference Final for the second time in the past four seasons (2020). Nill began the 2022-23 campaign by bringing in new Head Coach Pete DeBoer, who became the second coach in NHL history to reach the Conference Finals with four different franchises during the Stars' 2023 postseason run. Prior to the start of the season, Nill extended the contracts of forward Jason Robertsonand goaltender Jake Oettinger-- both of whom went on to post career-best seasons -- and acquired defenseman Nils Lundkvistvia trade. Nill also signed forward Roope Hintz, the Stars' leading scorer in the 2023 postseason, to an eight-year contract extension in November before acquiring forwards Evgenii Dadonovand Max Domi ahead of the trade deadline, bolstering the team as it headed into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Since joining the Stars, Nill has dramatically re-shaped the team's culture and roster with a series of trades and acquisitions. He began to make his mark on the club with key acquisitions of centers Tyler Seguinand Jason Spezza and three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Sharp. After leading the team to regular-season Central Division and Western Conference championships in 2015-16, Nill was named a finalist for GM of the Year, marking his first career nomination. He'd continue to add more pieces over the next few seasons, including trading for goaltender Ben Bishop and signing right wing Alexander Radulov, goaltender Anton Khudobin and center Joe Pavelski, leading to a highlight season for the Stars in 2019-20. Following the NHL's pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team traveled to the Edmonton bubble and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since the 2000-01 season and the fifth time in franchise history, ultimately losing in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nill's accomplishments and roster building during the 2019-20 campaign was recognized, as he was named a finalist for GM of the Year for the second time in his career. He has also used the NHL Draft to build the core for both the team's present and future, selecting standout players such as Hintz (2015), Miro Heiskanen(2017), Oettinger (2017), Robertson (2017), Ty Dellandrea(2018), Thomas Harley(2019) and Wyatt Johnston(2021).

A native of Hanna, Alberta, Nill joined the Red Wings' front office in the summer of 1994 following three seasons with the Ottawa Senators. Previously, Nill enjoyed a nine-season NHL career as a right wing with the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets and Red Wings. He collected 58 goals, 87 assists and 854 penalty minutes in 524 regular-season games. Nill later went to Adirondack as a player/coach, retiring as a player after the 1990-91 season. A member of the 1979-80 Canadian National and Olympic teams, he was originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round (89th overall) of the 1978 NHL Draft.