2 weeks Ago
FRISCO, Texas — We sat here in Jim Nill’s office a year ago at this time, our conversation then about his team knocking at the door after a trip to the Western Conference final. There were high hopes, as there should have been. Well, after another trip to the Western Conference final, the Dallas Stars remain one of those elite teams in the NHL trying to take that next, final step.
Advertisement Except 12 months later from our same sit-down in his office at the team’s practice facility, the two-time reigning NHL general manager of the year feels this way about his club: “I think we have more depth,” Nill told The Athletic on Monday. “I look at our team right now compared to last year at this time, I think we’re a better team. “Now, we didn’t have Chris Tanev yet then at this time last year.
But right now I think we’re a better team depth-wise.” We’ll get to those lineup changes in a moment. This will be a more physical team, especially on the blue line.
As Nill mentioned, there is the one that got away, though. Tanev was the perfect addition before last season’s trade deadline. So often, the trade deadline is overrated for its true impact.
That was not the case here. Tanev fit in like he had been on the Stars his whole career. He was a playoff warrior.
So much so that despite real salary-cap limitations, Nill tried mighty hard to re-sign Tanev before he went to market July 1. His agent, Wade Arnott, confirmed that the Stars were right in it until the end. But Tanev chose his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs , where there was history with GM Brad Treliving.
It was a tough call. “We loved Chris, he was a perfect fit and even he admitted that ..
. but in the end, he’s from Toronto, he’s toward the end of his career — they offered something we couldn’t offer,” Nill said. “These players have to make decisions, too, they have families.
I respect that, and I’ve got full respect for Chris. He came in here and did a great job and we would have loved to have him back.” So the Stars pivoted.
They bought out Ryan Suter then signed Matt Dumba , Ilya Lyubushkin and Brendan Smith . Dumba is a step down from Tanev but also a different player — one who was looking for a fresh start. “I’m going to be intrigued by Matt Dumba,” Nill said.
“You go back three years ago, he was coming off a pretty good year and he was a pretty good player. And whatever circumstances, he ends up going to Arizona and (it was a) tough situation there for him. “This is a chance to come back now.
He’s going to play with good players here. I think he can really change our team.” One result of the changes is that the Stars will finally have a righty-lefty balance with blueliners on their natural sides.
There’s a sense from the coaching staff that star defenseman Miro Heiskanen can add more offense, especially from the offensive zone, being on his forehand side. Not that he ever complained about playing the right side. Advertisement “You talk to Miro, that’s the last thing he’s worried about,” Nill said.
“He can play either side. That’s not a concern to him. So he gives us flexibility that way.
“But we have left-right options this year. In the past, we’ve kind of been a little bit light on the right side. Now we have the capability to go three righties on the ride side.
So we’ll see. We have a lot of options here. That’s what we’re going to find out preseason here.
Let’s see who fits.” The D pairings aren’t set yet, but the base that coach Peter DeBoer is starting camp with is that Heiskanen, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell can each carry a pair. And after a busy Tuesday, the latter two head into camp without contract negotiations to worry about.
Harley, a restricted free agent, agreed to a two-year contract with a $4 million average annual value a day after Nill told The Athletic he was confident it would get done. Lindell, who was set to enter the final year of his contract, agreed to a five-year extension at $5.25 million per year.
“He’s a big part of our team,” Nill said of Lindell on Monday. “He’s one of our leaders.” One remaining wild card is 20-year-old Lian Bichsel , chosen No.
18 in the 2022 NHL Draft. The Swiss defenseman had a strong camp last year, but after some games in the AHL, he chose to play in Sweden. Could he force his way onto the NHL roster? “It’s up to him,” Nill said.
“We’re going to watch him in camp. “He’s close. Let’s see where he is.
In the end, when you’re 20 years old, you’ve got to play.” Translation: He’s not going to be sitting in a press box. He either plays games in Dallas or plays big minutes in the AHL.
He can’t be a spare part. “But he’s an intriguing element,” Nill added. “He’s 6-foot-6, plays hard, physical and can skate and still move the puck well.
” Up front, there’s the loss of Joe Pavelski, who retired, leaving a leadership void, to be sure. Advertisement “It is a big void,” Nill said. “Now, the good thing is, guys have been tutored by him.
They’ve been around him. A lot of guys have grown through his tutelage. He was a big part of our team, leadership-wise, in the dressing room, away from the dressing room.
That’s a big void. But we have good leadership. Jamie Benn is a great captain.
“And it’s time for some of our younger guys to step up. It’s time for the Roope Hintzes, Jason Robertsons, Miro Heiskanens, Jake Oettingers — these guys have another level yet.” Speaking of Benn, the captain is entering the last year of his contract, too.
Everyone involved is happy to wait on what comes next. No rush to sign an extension. “Jamie and I have talked, and he said, ‘Let’s just get the year over with,'” Nill said.
“He’s all about the team. I asked him if he wanted to talk (extension) and he said, ‘I just want to win this year.’ That’s Jamie.
“But we’ll figure something out. He’s going to be a Dallas Star for life.” Whatever savings the Stars get next summer from Benn’s $9.
5 million cap hit being reduced, they’ll pour right back into Wyatt Johnston ’s next contract. The rising star is an RFA after the season and, yeah, that’s going to be a priority file for the Stars to handle. “We eventually want to sit down,” Nill said of an extension for Johnston.
“Do they want to talk this year? We’d love to. Maybe they just want to go play. We’ll figure that out.
” Johnston’s agent is Andy Scott, who represents the likes of Leon Draisaitl and Mikko Rantanen as well among many others. Scott’s track record with young RFAs suggests wanting to wait on Johnston and use another big year from his client, along with fresh, new contract comparables, to build up his case before that negotiation. Logan Stankoven , meanwhile, will look to build off his successful, late-season call-up in his first full NHL season, while Mavrik Bourque finally gets his shot, too.
Advertisement “Mavrik Bourque has done everything we’ve asked him to do,” said Nill. “He led the AHL in scoring, won MVP down there, won every award you can win. “It’s his time now, too, and he’s ready for it.
” Knowing Nill, he will tweak the roster again closer to the March 7 trade deadline, as he did in adding Tanev last season. The Stars remain in win-now mode. The league is too close to ever plan for one particular season to be the year.
But what GMs today try to pull off is opening a window where you take multiple swings at it. The Stars are very much in that window. “You just keep taking shots,” said Nill.
“And you’ve got to respect the league, how close it is, the parity. It is that close. Which is great for the league.
And the biggest fear is, it can go the other way, too. It’s a fine line. “It’s going to be a tight year,” he added.
“You’ve got to be ready right from the start.” Can the Stars take that next step? I would like their chances more with Tanev still on board. I could see another blue-line tweak before the trade deadline.
But overall, this remains a deep team with some young, core pieces ready to take another step. (Photo of Logan Stankoven, Jamie Benn and Thomas Harley: Jerome Miron / USA Today).
