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Jim Nill

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.

Dallas Stars Sign Stephen Johns To Three-Year Deal

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Stephen Johns is headed back to Texas. The Dallas Stars have re-signed Johns to a three-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $2.35MM. Johns was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this offseason, and will now be heading to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2021.

Johns took a major step forward in 2017-18 with career highs offensively and defensively. The 25-year-old blue liner registered 15 points on the year, including eight goals, which tied John Klingberg as best among all Dallas defensemen. John’s +10 rating was also among the best on the Stars, tied for seventh among all skaters. In his own zone, John’s shutdown game garnered league-wide attention this season. His 201 hits and 155 blocked shots were both the top marks in Dallas and top-25 in the NHL. Johns plays a fast, physical style and can be used in many different situations.

At just over $2MM per year through the next three years of the prime of Johns’ career, Stars GM Jim Nill got a great deal on this extension. Dallas has struggled at preventing goals in recent years and the team’s defense is not without significant blame for those issues. However, the Stars began to turn that around this year and the improvement in Johns’ game is a major reason why. If Johns continues to develop a strong two-way game, his contract will be a bargain that allows the Stars to build their roster knowing that they have a dependable veteran on the back end.

Evening Notes: Navy Outdoor Game, #3 Pick, Blue Jackets

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Prior to Gary Bettman’s official league announcement on the news sure to come Monday, it has been revealed by AP’s Steve Whyno that Washington will host Toronto at an outdoor game next season. The affair will take place on March 3, 2018 at the Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The contest will be the first outdoor affair held at a venue utilized by a branch of the armed forces. Considering the large amount of folks in the greater D.C. area with government employment ties, and the dear respect for veterans around the country, such an arrangement makes a great deal of sense for the National Hockey League. Whether outdoor games are becoming a novelty or not, opportunities such as these are almost certain bets to make money for the league. The Capitals and Maple Leafs are certainly not historic rivals, but both undoubtedly draw revenue.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes the Stars’ Jim Nill is serious about moving the #3 pick. If they decide to do so, he says their focus will assuredly be on acquiring a dynamic defender. The Ducks’ dire injury situation likely takes them out of such discussions temporarily, which leaves Columbus and Minnesota as the most likely trade partners. 30 year-old Jack Johnson is entering the final year of his contract, and 23 year-old Ryan Murray will need to re-negotiate after 2017-18. Murray is obviously more enticing, and the fit is certainly there for a deal’s foundation. However, if neither intrigues the Stars, David Savard could be a target – if GM Jarmo Kekalainen is willing to add. His $4.25 MM salary is reasonable and he is still a young defender with room to improve. It’s difficult to see the Jackets moving on from either Zach Werenski or Seth Jones (so recently acquired). The Wild would likely need to move the dynamic Mathew Dumba or stalwart Jonas Brodin, neither of which seems particularly likely. Marco Scandella simply isn’t going to get the job done, and something substantial would need to be added to Jared Spurgeon for Dallas to accept. Of course, it’s always possible a dark horse team enters the discussions if they really like a player at that drafting position.
  • Speaking of Kekalainen, Friedman also secured some interesting soundbytes from Columbus’ astute manager. He confidently stated that he “expect(s) zero problems (with the cap) next year.” Considering how close the team is to the ceiling, and RFA center Alex Wennberg needing a new contract, there isn’t a ton of room to maneuver. It does seem like a trade could be on the horizon. Offensive flair is their most glaring need at the moment, and they will not be the only team on the hunt for a marquee scorer. There is help on the way from Grade A prospects Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand, both of whom look physically ready to successfully enter the league next season. Bjorkstrand in particular will be under additional pressure to perform, as this will be the final year as his Entry-Level Contract. The ability of Columbus to draft and develop consistently well has placed them in the enviable position of all-around depth as they look towards future transactions.

Offseason Keys: Dallas Stars

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While the expansion draft is set to headline a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months ahead. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Dallas Stars.

The season ended only a month ago but already GM Jim Nill has made two significant changes.  First was the return of Ken Hitchcock behind the bench to replace former head coach Lindy Ruff.  The second was the move to shore up their goaltending situation with the addition of Ben Bishop from the Kings while signing him to a six year, $29.5MM contract.  While those are two big elements already taken care of, there are still a few other avenues that are likely to be addressed this summer.

Move A Goalie

The addition of Bishop gives Dallas three goalies on big ticket contracts for next season.  Clearly, Bishop’s spot as the starter is locked in but a decision will need to be made on who to keep (if either) of Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi.

Mar 24, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) faces the San Jose Sharks attack during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY SportsBoth netminders have one year left on their current contracts with Lehtonen carrying a cap hit of $5.9MM and Niemi checking in at $4.5MM.  Combined, the duo was the priciest tandem in the league in 2016-17.

It appears that there is going to be a bit of musical chairs when it comes to goaltending this offseason which could potentially present the opportunity for Nill to try to move one of them out in a trade.  However, it would seem likely that they would need to take a goalie in return which doesn’t exactly solve the logjam.

As things stand, the expected course of action is that a buyout is forthcoming.  If the team opts to buy out Lehtonen, they will eat a cap hit of $2.57MM this season and $1.67MM next year.  Niemi’s cap charge if bought out is more uniform, coming in at $1.5MM for each of the next two seasons.

Rebuild The Back End

While their goals against should drop with the addition of Bishop (while Hitchcock is certainly a defensive-minded coach), the Stars are lacking in top four defensemen.  John Klingberg took a step back last season but is still their biggest threat but there aren’t many proven options beyond him.  Dan Hamhuis isn’t the top pairing player he once was and while the team has high hopes for Esa Lindell and Julius Honka, among others, they’re still developing and aren’t ready for a top role just yet.

It’s not a great free agent market for defenders but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Nill try to be active, particularly when it comes to the second tier.  There aren’t many top end options available but there are several players who could slide into a top four role for a year or two while their youngsters continue to develop.  Going the trade route is another option but the Stars will have some money to spend which makes it more likely that they’ll skew towards the open market.

Hit In The Draft

Dallas hasn’t had a lot of first round success lately.  From 2009-2013 (the last few years are really too early to judge), they’ve missed on just about every pick.  Radek Faksa – a pending RFA – is turning into a quality player but Scott Glennie, Jack Campbell, Jamie Oleksiak, and Valeri Nichushkin all have failed to come close to meeting their draft day expectations.  The only two left in the organization are Oleksiak and Nichushkin; the former has been in a time share on the back end for the last two years while the latter was in the KHL this season.

The Stars were big winners in the draft lottery as they jumped from eighth overall to third to give them their earliest draft pick in franchise history.  After missing on that many first rounders, Nill and his staff simply cannot suffer the same fate this time around.  If they keep the pick, they should be able to land a core prospect, something they’ve been lacking for a while now.  However, it was reported yesterday that they’ve already had some talks about potentially moving the pick in exchange for an established player in the hopes of getting back into contention quickly.

With Anaheim making the conference final, Dallas picks up their first rounder as well.  It’s slated to be somewhere between 28-31 but that will give them a shot at adding another decent prospect or a better trade chip.  The Stars haven’t had a lot of draft success as of late but they have a strong opportunity to change that next month.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dallas Stars Have Had Discussions On Moving Third-Overall Pick

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According to Sean Shapiro of NHL.com, Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill was speaking on NHL Network radio this morning about the possibility of moving the third-overall pick. Nill admitted to having discussions about it, mostly because of the wide variety of players who could be of interest to teams at #3. While Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier are widely expected to go 1-2 in some order, there are “about 10 players” who could be selected next.

Gabe Vilardi, Miro Heiskanen, Cale Makar, Cody Glass, Casey Mittelstadt and several others have been rumored to possibly go in that spot, not even counting Timothy Liljegren who has fallen far from his one time #2 ranking in the draft. Teams may need to move up to make sure they get the player they want, and #3 might be the chance to do it.

Dallas could use more NHL talent immediately, and without a consensus could still add a player they really like further down the draft. Should someone offer a player who can help them right away, plus a pick somewhere still in the top-10 they may be swayed to move down.

Nill also spoke about the expansion draft and how the Stars will need to expose a few players they’d rather not. He’s had talks with other teams about those players, hoping to get something for them instead of watching them walk over to the Vegas dressing room. As we discussed yesterday, the Stars have a huge number of young bodies on defense for next season, and won’t be able to protect all of them.

Even if the fan base wouldn’t be heartbroken by a selected Jamie Oleksiak, losing a former first round pick for nothing doesn’t make any sense for the team. With potentially only three protection slots—should the team go with the 7-3-1 method—the Stars won’t be able to keep all of their 25-and-under defensemen. Perhaps making a deal with Vegas, as Nill suggests, is the best way to make sure they pick the one you’d have the easiest time replacing.

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