Though Jim Nill’s Dallas Stars went down to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final, he will not leave the 2022-23 season empty-handed; he was named Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year on Wednesday.
Nill’s wheeling and dealing was a big reason that, though the Stars eventually ceded the Central Division lead to the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas was near the top of the Western standings all season and entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs as one of the teams to watch.
The executive, who has been GM in Dallas since 2013, started his season strong by bolstering Dallas’s depth in free agency. He signed Colin Miller and Mason Marchment during the summer.
Miller posted a 23 rating in over 16 minutes of ice time per night to go along with six goals and 21 points, while Marchment brought physicality to the bottom six forwards; he joined on a four-year deal after a career season with Florida in 2021-2022 and scored 12 goals and 31 points in 68 games.
Nill was not done there and continued to add valuable pieces throughout the season, but not until after locking up his star players on extensions. Veteran Joe Pavelski agreed to stay on through 2024 before Nill locked in young stars Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, and Jake Oettinger through 2029, 2026, and 2025 respectively.
Around the trade deadline, Nill acquired now fan favorites Evegenii Dadonov and Max Domi for cheap. Dadonov stepped up for Dallas down the stretch with 15 points in 23 regular season games, while Domi’s 13 playoff points were fourth on the Western Conference runners-up.
Nill did not miss a beat last season. With his most essential players in place and Robertson signed on a bargain for less than $8M AAV, he will try to position the Stars to go even deeper in 2023-24.
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