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Jim Nill

Dallas Stars Extend Jim Nill

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The Dallas Stars will have a continued presence at the top of their front office organizational chart for the time being, as Jim Nill has been given a one-year contract extension that runs through 2023-24. Stars owner Tom Gaglardi released the following statement:

Jim has done tremendous work in his nine years since joining the Stars, having developed a culture of excellence within our organization that has translated to success on the ice. He’s re-shaped our club to put us in a position to compete with the League’s best each and every season. Jim’s diligence and commitment to the Stars has reverberated throughout our entire organization and we’re excited for him to continue his work building a championship-caliber team.

Some will certainly take issue with the idea that the Stars can “compete with the league’s best” every season, given they have missed the playoffs in four of the nine seasons and only finished higher than third in the division once since he has been general manager, but there have also been some master strokes by the veteran executive.

The 2017 draft, in particular, has become a franchise-altering moment for the Stars, as they selected Miro Heiskanen, Jake Oettinger, and Jason Robertson with their first three picks. Even Jacob Peterson, who made his debut with the club and scored 12 goals in 65 games last season, was selected that day, 132nd overall.

It has been the big-ticket contracts that Nill has given out that could have potentially been his downfall. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin make a combined $19.35MM against the cap and have been anything but the superstar talents they showed in their youth. Even smaller deals like the six-year, $34.8MM that Esa Lindell received in 2019 have been criticized, despite the defenseman’s relatively consistent play.

With a one-year extension in place, Nill can negotiate with players from a position of stability, knowing that he will be around for a little while longer. Perhaps that will come into play with his last big RFA contract in Robertson, who remains unsigned to this point after a brilliant season.

Stars Notes: Klingberg, Bowness, Injuries

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As things currently stand, Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg is arguably the best defenseman set to be available in this summer’s free agent market. But according to Klingberg, he hopes he doesn’t get there. In today’s season-ending meeting with the media, Klingberg, who has been the subject of many trade rumors in the past, emphasized his desire to remain in Dallas, saying:

At the end of the day, I always want to stay here. We’ve been trying to find different ways to get it done. Year length, money-wise, just trying to get something we’re both happy with.

The factors that could potentially block a Klingberg return are the ones he mentioned, the cost and length of his extension. On May 7th, Stars GM Jim Nill said that he would love to keep Klingberg. But it may not be possible given the team’s cap situation and the other offers Klingberg could receive on the open market. The Stars already have Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Ryan Suter under contract for at least the next three seasons, and with extensions for Jake Oettinger, Jason Robertson, Denis Gurianov, and Roope Hintz to consider over the next two offseasons, it’s difficult to imagine that the Stars will be able to match the kinds of offers Klingberg could receive from elsewhere. So, despite the mutual interest in a return that was communicated today, it looks as though some serious creativity will be required if Klingberg is to remain with the only NHL team he has ever known.

Now, for some other notes regarding the Stars:

  • Stars head coach Rick Bowness coached this season on an expiring contract, a deal that has now ended thanks to the Stars’ defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames. Per Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News, Bowness stated today that he would prefer a one-year contract at this stage of his career and that he may consider retirement if that’s the path he chooses to go down. Nill did praise Bowness’ work today, emphasizing that Bowness has “done a good job” in this 98-point campaign. He did also say, though, that they will need to “reassess everything.” So with both Bowness and Nill’s comments in mind, it’s certainly possible that the Stars join the multitude of teams seeking a new head coach this offseason.
  • On exit days across the NHL, it is common for the numerous injuries a team’s players have been playing through to be revealed publicly for the first time. The Stars’ end-of-season press conferences were no different, and we learned today of a multitude of ailments that Stars players were battling during the season. As relayed by Saad Yousuf of The Athletic, Tyler Seguin fractured his foot in Game One of the series, Hintz strained his oblique in Game Six, and Luke Glendening had a concussion and both knee and groin issues that would have kept him out on a week-to-week basis. While it’s certain that all three players would rather be taking on the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night, one small benefit of the Stars’ loss is that they now get to begin the recovery process in earnest.

Rick Bowness Has “Earned The Right To Come Back” As Head Coach Of Stars

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As they stormed back last night to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, it’s easy to forget that the Dallas Stars are still operating with an interim head coach behind the bench. Rick Bowness took over control of the Stars after just 31 games this season and has now led them to the promised land with an incredible playoff run, but still had that interim tag on his job title.

The company line all postseason has been that GM Jim Nill and Bowness would sit down and discuss his future after the team stopped playing, but the front office executive was a little more forthcoming when speaking to the media today. As Sean Shapiro of The Athletic reports, Nill explained that Bowness has “definitely earned the right to come back” as head coach next season.

That’s not a new contract, but it does seem as though Bowness can take the reins of the Stars again if he chooses to in 2020-21 (whenever that season happens). His focus is squarely on the challenge that is in front of him and it’s not like he would have been out of work anyway. Bowness first became an assistant coach at the NHL level in 1984 and has been employed ever since, spending time with the Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Phoenix Coyotes, Vancouver Canucks, and Tampa Bay Lightning before joining the Stars as an assistant in 2018.

One of the other big contributors this postseason and potentially a clubhouse favorite for the Conn Smythe also doesn’t have much certainty surrounding his future in Dallas. Anton Khudobin, who has been outstanding in the postseason with a .920 save percentage in 19 appearances, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in October. Shapiro tweets that Nill hopes to re-sign Khudobin this offseason. The journeyman goaltender is 34 and has played 237 regular season games, split between six different organizations.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Rumors: Honka, Hickey, Eriksson, Schenn

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Julius Honka is the last remaining unsigned restricted free agent and it doesn’t seem like the Dallas Stars are in any hurry to come to terms on a new deal. However, they may have to wait a while longer to find a trade partner as well. In separate radio appearances today, TSN’s Bob McKenzie and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman both confirmed that the asking price for Honka remains high. Stars GM Jim Nill is seeking a second- or third-round pick or a young player with a similar early-round pedigree. The 23-year-old is himself a first-round pick and was once a highly-regarded prospect, but given his lack of production over the past few years has seen his stock plummet. Honka played in just 29 games with Dallas last season and recorded only four points. Without any guarantee that he can be more than that at the NHL level, teams will likely wait for the price to drop to take a chance on trading for Honka.

  • A surprise placement on the waiver wire today was New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey. Hickey is a career Islander who just signed a four-year, $10MM extension with the team last summer. Yet, just one season into the contract, he’s now a candidate to be buried in the AHL if not claimed. To many, this somewhat of a betrayal came out of the blue. However, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that New York has been trying to trade Hickey since last season. The 30-year-old veteran was relegated to a part-time role last year, playing in just 40 games, and now has seemingly been forced off the roster altogether by the emergence of top prospect Noah Dobson. Should Hickey clear waivers, he still remains a prime candidate to play elsewhere this season via trade. In all likelihood the relationship between player and team has been tarnished beyond repair.
  • Many in Vancouver are commiserating with Hickey’s situation given the equally shocking waiver placement of Sven Baertschi. A fixture in the top-six for the Canucks for several seasons (when healthy), many had Baertschi pegged for the same role this season, now that he has returned from battling concussions. However, Vancouver opted to place Baertschi on waivers due to both a roster and salary cap crunch. Meanwhile, Loui Eriksson remains on the team despite clashes with the coaching staff and poor production on a hefty contract. The Canucks were working to trade Eriksson all summer and it is likely their failure to do so that forced out Baertschi. If Baertschi or Nikolay Goldobin are indeed claimed on waivers, it could also make Eriksson a necessary piece for the team this season, all but ending their attempts to trade him. That’s not to say that GM Jim Benning won’t still listen to offers though.
  • Meanwhile, the Canucks opened up a roster spot by waiving three players today and there is some thought that they could be looking to bring back a familiar face. Responding to colleague Rick Dhaliwal’s pondering, Sportsnet’s Satiar Shah reports that the team is considering a waiver claim for defenseman Luke Schenn. Schenn was acquired in-season last year by the Canucks and played well in a shutdown role for the team down the stretch. Vancouver tried to retain his services, but Schenn opted to chase a title with an affordable deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he failed to make the opening night roster in Tampa and is up for grabs. Vancouver is well-staffed on the blue line and Schenn would seemingly be no better than the No. 7 or 8 defender, but that might not stop them from taking a chance on him yet again.

Poll: Which GM Will Be Fired Next?

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Despite missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Vancouver Canucks decided to extend GM Jim Benning today. The reasons for that are complicated—and obviously do not hinge entirely on his postseason record—just as they were when the Minnesota Wild made the decision to fire Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure with the team. The inner workings of an NHL front office are almost never made public (unless there is an intrepid reporter like Michael Russo of The Athletic who gets the incredible story), and it is hard to see why some decisions are made.

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

Gavin Bayreuther Re-Signs With Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars have to be happy about taking a waiver on a little-known college free agent out of St. Lawrence University two years ago. Gavin Bayreuther has proven to be a more than capable pro, successfully translating his game from NCAA level. After back-to-back strong AHL campaigns, as well as 19 NHL games this past season, Bayreuther has been rewarded with a new contract. Dallas has announced a one-year, two-way extension with the blue liner. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

Bayreuther, 25, is a New Hampshire native and the cousin of former Stars teammate Ben Lovejoy, who also grew up in New England. An undrafted prospect out of The Holderness School, Bayreuther played on season in the USHL before enrolling at St. Lawrence, where he immediately became a force on the blue line for the Saints. Over four seasons, Bayreuther compiled 111 points in 142 games and twice led the team in scoring. His play caught the attention of Dallas, who signed him to a two-year entry-level contract after graduation. It paid off immediately, as Bayreuther continued to dominate as a puck-moving defender, recording 32 points in his first pro season to lead all defenseman in scoring for AHL Texas, proving he was an NHL asset. He added another 25 points in just 53 AHL games this year, but also added five NHL points over 19 games with Dallas.

The challenge moving forward for Bayreuther is no longer to prove he belongs in the NHL, but to prove that he is more worthy of starts and ice time than his many competitors. The Stars are deep on the blue line, led by the likes of John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Miro Heiskanen. Veterans Roman Polak and Andrej Sekera will also have a leg up in the position battle, as will the re-acquired Jamie Oleksiak. That potentially leaves one roster spot available for Bayreuther, Taylor Fedun, injured Stephen Johns, and still-unsigned restricted free agents Julius Honka and Dillon Heatherington to fight over. It won’t be easy for Bayreuther to crack the NHL roster or even ensure that he spends considerable time at the top level this year, but if he continues to produce regardless of the level, the Stars may be left with little choice but to give the young rearguard a regular role.

Zuccarello, Point Will Wait Until Season’s End To Negotiate Next Contracts

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The Dallas Stars went out and acquired Mats Zuccarello at the deadline in order to give them some extra secondary scoring, but lost him almost immediately to a broken arm. While he should be back in time to contribute during the playoffs (should Dallas get there), the former New York Rangers forward isn’t using the time off to negotiate his next contract. In fact, Stars GM Jim Nill told Matthew DeFranks of Dallas Morning News that the team will wait until the season is over to discuss any contract extension with Zuccarello.

Nill of course has more to consider than just salary structure and cap hit when it comes to Zuccarello’s next contract. If the Stars decide to re-sign the diminutive forward, they would sacrifice a 2020 first-round pick instead of the third-round selection they sent to the Rangers as part of the package to acquire him at the deadline. Without seeing his impact on the team over a longer term it’s hard to say whether that would be worth it.

In Tampa Bay they are facing a similar situation with young star Brayden Point. Unlike Zuccarello who is set for unrestricted free agency, Point is still controlled as a restricted free agent but will be looking for a huge contract after proving himself to be such an important piece of the Lightning puzzle this season. To that end, Point—who turned 23 today—has told Lightning GM Julien BriseBois that he doesn’t want to negotiate until the end of the year, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required). That affords Point another chance to prove he is worth as much as any of his RFA contemporaries, especially if he helps lead the Lightning to a Stanley Cup this season.

In 68 games this season the Tampa Bay forward has amassed 83 points while being one of the most consistent defensive players in the entire league. He leads the Lightning in goals with 37 and would have a case for team MVP if it weren’t for the existence of Nikita Kucherov. A third-round pick in 2014, Point has consistently improved every year and looks like he will be a superstar for a long time in the NHL. It will be interesting to see if he wants to be paid like it right away, or is willing to take a bridge deal like Kucherov did in 2016.

Dallas Stars Trade For New York Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello

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Earlier in the day, the Dallas Stars added a defenseman. Now they’ve added a forward. TSN’s Darren Dreger confirmed that the Stars have acquired veteran forward Mats Zuccarello from the New York Rangers for a 2019 conditional second-round pick and a 2020 conditional third-round pick. Zuccarello is expected to join the team for Sunday’s game against Chicago.

The second-round pick becomes a first-rounder if Dallas wins two rounds in the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, while the 2020 third-rounder can become a first-round pick if Dallas re-signs Zuccarello. The Rangers also retained 30 percent of his salary, according to CapFriendly.

“Mats is a legitimate top-six forward in this League who possesses a high level of speed, skill, compete and grit,” said Dallas general manager Jim Nill. “He will enhance our team in a number of ways.”

The Stars hope that Zuccarello will give them the offense they need to get their team into the playoffs this year. Dallas currently owns the first wild card spot in the playoffs as they are tied with Colorado with 65 points. However, the Minnesota Wild are just a point behind both team, while two more teams are within four points of Dallas. With the team struggling scoring goals beyond their first line, the team needed to bring in some offense at the trade deadline. Zuccarello, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, could provide that. The 31-year-old has 11 goals and 37 points so far this year and should be the perfect addition to the team’s struggling second line. Zaccarello has spent his entire career with the Rangers and has tallied 113 goals in 509 career NHL games.

Aside of getting the Rangers to retain 30 percent of Zuccarello’s salary, the Stars placed Martin Hanzal on long-term injured reserve, freeing up the necessary cap space for Dallas to acquire Zuccarello. Hanzal going to LTIR freed up $4.75MM in cap space.

While a pair of picks doesn’t seem like a big return, the Rangers have conditions on those picks. The Rangers could get a first-round pick in this year’s draft if the Stars win a divisional championship, which seems like a longshot, but New York can also get a first-round pick if Dallas can re-sign Zuccarello this summer.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie was the first to report the potential deal.

Dallas Stars “Deep In Discussions” With Tyler Seguin

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The Tyler Seguin speculation came to a head recently when the superstar center repeatedly used the word “disappointed” in reference to his contract situation. Seguin and the Dallas Stars got back together soon after that, and now according to Mark Stepneski of NHL.com the team believes they’re headed in the right direction. In fact, GM Jim Nill used exactly those words to explain how he feels about the negotiations:

We are deep in discussions. It’s moving in the right direction. We’ll go from there.

I’d like to get it done before the season starts, but with negotiations, you never know. But I think both parties would like to get it done before.

Getting Seguin under contract before the season starts would be a huge boost for a Dallas team looking to bounce back from a disappointing season in 2017-18. Though their top offensive players produced at an extremely high level, they weren’t able to find enough secondary scoring to have any real consistency. They’ve tried to address that problem by bringing in players like Valeri Nichushkin and Blake Comeau, while also signing Anton Khudobin to make sure they have a solid goaltending tandem once again. Seguin’s contract situation will be a daily distraction if it lingers into the season, especially given the recent example set by John Tavares.

Seguin would easily be one of the top free agents on the market next summer, and if the season progresses without a contract the Stars would be forced to consider a trade. Though they obviously want to keep their star first-line center for as long as possible, watching an asset of that level walk out of town with no return is a tough pill for an organization looking to compete. Regaining cap space is one thing, but the Stars want to be among the Stanley Cup contenders as soon as this season and would have no internal replacement for a player of Seguin’s quality.

Just six forwards are scheduled to carry a cap hit of at least $10MM in the 2018-19 season, but Seguin could easily find his way into that group. It will be interesting to see though if captain Jamie Benn’s $9.5MM is a sort of internal threshold that the team isn’t willing to eclipse, and whether they can get Seguin under contract for a similar number. Currently carrying just a $5.75MM cap hit, Seguin is one of the best bargains in the NHL. Watch for his 15-team no-trade clause for this season to potentially be upgraded to a full no-movement clause if an extension is reached, guaranteeing his place in Dallas for a long time.

Dallas Stars Hope To Extend Tyler Seguin Before Season Begins

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Though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, the Dallas Stars are working hard on a long-term extension for star center Tyler Seguin and hope to have him signed by the start of the 2018-19 season. GM Jim Nill spoke with Mark Stepneski of NHL.com and explained that though working out a deal of this nature is complicated, Stars’ fans shouldn’t start to worry if the contract isn’t signed in the next couple of months.

I hope [the teams can reach a deal by the start of the season]. But I think I have mentioned from Day 1 that I don’t want people to panic if he is not signed when the season starts. I think the biggest thing is we need to have a good season — get off to a good start. I hope he is signed by then, but I know if he isn’t, we’ll get a good year out of him and go from there. But like I said, I am hopeful we can get it done. We’ll have to see.

Recently we looked at the potential circus that could be created if Seguin begins the year without a contract, given John Tavares’ recent example. The contract situation was a daily story for Tavares as he played out his final year with the New York Islanders, only to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs—somewhat unexpectedly—on July 1st. Seguin, a perhaps even more gifted offensive player, would have the entire league knocking down his door if he ever got to the free agent interview period. If the Stars can’t get a deal done at some point, it would be hard to look at the Islanders lack of return for Tavares and make the decision to hold onto Seguin through July 1st.

The starting speculation though is unfounded for now, as Nill seems confident that he’ll eventually get a deal done with his top center. Seguin is earning $6.5MM ($5.75MM cap hit) this season on his current deal, and holds a 15-team no-trade list. The Stars meanwhile will try to find a different result with much the same roster in 2018-19, though there have been some additions like Valeri Nichushkin and Blake Comeau. Seguin will be relied upon once again for a good chunk of the offense, something that shouldn’t hurt his leverage in the continued negotiations.

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