It's been a busy and productive offseason for Stars GM Jim Nill as he has reworked his roster with a series of moves the past two months. He's upgraded his goaltending, added high-end skill and depth to his forward group and provided veteran presence to his blue line.
He also, of course, made a change to his coaching staff, choosing not to renew the contract of Lindy Ruff and bringing Ken Hitchcock back to the organization. Hitchcock should bring some structure and more defensive responsibility to the Stars game.
Nill is getting high marks for the moves, but he knows nobody wins simply because of free agent signings and trades. What Nill does acknowledge is that the work he's done this offseason is a good start to getting the Stars back on track and push to be a contender after a dismal 2016-17 season.
"We're excited about these moves, but we've got to go to work now," Nill said. "It doesn't guarantee anything. We like what we have on paper, but in the end, the goal for us is to be a contender every year, to get in the playoffs every year. We didn't do that last year for different reasons, injuries and everything else. In the end, I think we've given ourselves a good position, but we still have to do it. This game can humble you pretty quick, and it's a tough league, and we know we've got lots of work to do, and we're going to move forward from here."
Here's a look at who is in and who is out on the roster so far this offseason for the Stars.
Stars offseason scorecard
A look at who's in and who's out so far as Jim Nill reworks the Dallas roster