Q: We know about the positive tests, but can you give us an idea of whether the players are asymptomatic or not?
Nill: Some are and some aren't. I'm sure it's a lot like the rest of society. There are varying degrees of illness and that's going to determine how long certain players will be off the ice. It really is a case-by-case basis, and we're trying to do our best with each person. Our biggest problem right now is that while the league is allowing us to have a taxi squad, we're having even more problems in the AHL and we're not able to call up players right now.
Q: You have 15 players in the protocol in the AHL, including a large group who are eligible for call-up, so how do you deal with that?
Nill: That's a big part of our problem. We have no players to bring up. So what we have to do in each place is follow the protocol, do the best we can to be prepared and then adjust to whatever options are presented. Honestly, you just have to find a way to deal with it. We've done it in the past, and we'll do it again. I believe the players and coaches are very focused on doing whatever is necessary.
Q: What can you do to be ready when you come back?
Nill: I think the coaching staff has been very good in the past of looking at every situation and at every opportunity to be prepared and I think they've learned from that. Whether that's working with individuals or doing work off the ice, they'll have the players ready. This is a resilient bunch, I know that, so I expect them to react well. Players have dealt with it in the past. Our guys have been through this.
Q: Do you look at some of the individual stories of the past - like Kiviranta or Robertson or Anton Khudobin - where players took advantage of the opportunity to really step up their game?
Nill: Definitely. I think that's how you have to look at it. We're going to have to call players up from the minors, and those players are going to get a great opportunity. So when that happens, be prepared and then take advantage. I do think there are great stories in the past, and there are great examples for others. There are guys down there who are knocking on the door and they're in a great position to react to this.
Q: How do you try to plan for the schedule?
Nill: It's really just day to day. Things change, we're testing all the time, and we just have to adjust. I think the league has done a great job with us. They know our situation. They're being patient.
Q: Losing the Olympics creates a situation where there's space in the schedule where games can be made up, so that's a strange benefit, right?
Nill:Yes, I think the league understood that. That should allow us to make adjustments to the schedule when we're playing again.
Q: This has been a challenging season in a lot of ways. With the recent announcement from Ben Bishop to shut things down and the assignment of Khudobin to the minors, the goaltending situation has been worked out. Khudobin in two games has a 2.04 GAA and .934 save percentage. Is that encouraging?
Nill: It really is. When we made the decision to get four goalies, we knew a little more about Ben's knee, and that's one of the reasons we brought in Braden Holtby. Now, I think we're in a good place with our two goalies here, and Khudobin is in a place where he can address his game. He needed to go down and play, and that's what he's doing. He's a leader, and this gives him an opportunity to do that and then he can either get himself into a place where he can help us if that's needed or he can prove himself to the rest of the league. He's a hard worker and I have no doubt he's going to get himself back into the groove. He's doing what he has to do, and that's going to get him back into the league eventually.
Q: Are you happy with how the goaltending has worked out so far?
Nill: I think so. We didn't know where Jake Oettinger] was going to be, and I think it was a good thing for him to go to the minors and get things going down there. I think he got his foundation in, and he was a better goalie because of it. Then, when the opportunity presented itself, he was hungry and he grabbed it. It's a long season, and we're all facing new challenges every day, so we each have to adjust and do the best we can do.
*This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.*
***[Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika*.
