Stars GM Jim Nill Having Another Elite Year With Team on the Verge of Western Conference Final

There’s a subtlety to how he moves the puck, both five on five and on the power play, and his ability to facilitate with clutch passes is an overlooked part of his game. It can be argued that, in the playoffs, the construction of the “Finnish Mafia” line (Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen, and Granlund) has completely changed the fate of the Stars for the better.

Granlund’s most noticeable impact was in Game 4 when he followed Rantanen’s Game 7 and Game 1 heroics by scoring all three goals for the Stars and giving them an opportunity to eliminate the Jets Thursday night.

The Surprise and Franchise-Changing Mikko Rantanen Addition

Heading into Game 5 of the second round, what else is there to say about Mikko Rantanen? To use the words “remarkable,” “historic,” and “heroic” is not hyperbole. That’s exactly what Rantanen has been in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Rantanen was acquired by the Stars from the Carolina Hurricanes a month after he was traded by the Colorado Avalanche, where he played for his entire career up until that point. In 20 regular-season games with the Stars, Rantanen had five goals and 18 points. Yet, many were concerned about how he was fitting in with the roster. It was a typical overreaction to the first 20 games of an eight-year contract, but was a talking point nonetheless at the end of the season and through the first four games of the playoffs.

In 11 games, Rantanen has nine goals and 19 points. In the last seven games, the Stars have 25 goals, and Rantanen has points on 18 of them. That includes a hat trick in the third period of Game 7 against the Avalanche and another hat trick in Game 1 against the Jets. Rantanen has shown the ability to take over a game with his size, skill, and hockey smarts, which he has done a number of times already this postseason.

As great as Rantanen has been during the regular season with 294 goals and 705 points in 652 games, it’s the playoffs where Rantanen makes, and will make, his money. In 92-career playoff games, he has 43 goals and 120 points. In Colorado’s Cup run in 2022, Rantanen had five goals and 25 points in 20 games. He already has almost double the goals and only six fewer points in this run with the Stars.

Rantanen and Granlund Leading the Stars’ Offense

Ok, so we’ve talked about what these two players have brought to the table so far this spring. Now, let’s look at it in the context of the entire offense.

The Stars are fourth among playoff teams in scoring with 32 goals. Rantanen and Granlund had 25 points combined. That’s pretty darn good if you ask me.

Stars are Built for the Now and the Future

We’ve covered what Nill has done to help his team win in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Clearly, it’s been working. What might be even more remarkable, though, is what this team will look like in the future.

Hintz, Rantanen, and Wyatt Johnston are all in Dallas for at least the next six seasons, Esa Lindell for five, and Heiskanen for the next four. Thomas Harley and Jason Robertson have one more season on their deals, but both are expected to sign long-term. Lyubushkin and Lian Bichsel have two years left after this season. In net, Jake Oettinger starts his new eight-year deal next season, and Casey DeSmith has two years left and has proven to be more than a capable backup.

Nill has done a spectacular job of putting his team in a position to win the Stanley Cup this spring, but he hasn’t done it at the expense of the future. We have seen it in the NFL when the Los Angeles Rams went all in and won a couple of years ago, but have struggled to get past the first couple of rounds of the playoffs ever since. We’ve seen it in the NHL with the Vegas Golden Knights as they have had a hard time going deep the last couple of years after winning it all in 2023.

No matter what happens in the next month, the Stars are set up to win for a long, long time, and it’s all thanks to Jim Nill.