Here to stay: Jim Nill’s extension a testament to his sharp leadership, subtle style

Maybe the most impressive thing about Jim Nill’s leadership is just how subtle it is.

The Stars GM is never brash or boastful or even overconfident. He works quietly behind the scenes and relies on preparation and patience and trust – and that’s been a winning formula for him and his organization.

Nill received a two-year contract extension this week, and the logic of the timing made sense. Nill and owner Tom Gaglardi had worked out the details weeks ago, and it was pretty much assumed that there was going to be no controversy when Nill’s current contract expired in the summer. But, as the GM position in Toronto opened up, and Nill’s name found its way onto a few websites, the Stars decided to put the kibosh on any misguided rumors by saying their boss was staying put.

Honestly, anyone who has been around this team never had a doubt about that.

Nill is 67, and that’s one reason he has been working on shorter term deals. He understands that he will have to transition into retirement at some point, but now is not that time. He always talks about preparing for “today, tomorrow, and five years from now,” and he certainly does that very well. He has a great staff in place with assistant GMs Scott White and Mark Janko, and he recently promoted Rich Peverley from director of player personnel to assistant GM/player personnel. It is a subtle move (there’s that word again), but an important one for the organization.

The impact might not be felt right now, but it can help Peverley prepare himself for his next step in the NHL, and it can help the Stars track down that elusive Stanley Cup. Nill is good at moves like this. When he was hired by the Stars back in 2013, he brought with him from Detroit Joe McDonnell to be the Stars’ new director of scouting. Nill’s history is in scouting and he knew having a person like McDonnell could be huge.

The two are equally quiet and diligent, and the fit seemed perfect. Now, 13 years later, Dallas has built the core of this team through the draft. It all started by drafting Roope Hintz (49th overall) in 2014. In 2017, the Stars landed a cornerstone defenseman in Miro Heiskanen (3rd overall), goaltender in Jake Oettinger (26th) and scoring forward in Jason Robertson (39th). In 2019, they took defenseman Thomas Harley (18th). In 2020, it was Mavrik Bourque (30th). They took Wyatt Johnston (23rd) and Logan Stankoven (47th) in 2021 and added Lian Bichsel (18th) in 2022.

That’s a good chunk of your roster right there. Robertson and Johnston are top scorers and would be taken much higher in redrafts of their respective draft classes. Heiskanen, Harley and Bichsel help form a blueline that should be good for years going forward. Even a player like Stankoven helped you get Mikko Rantanen in a trade, so that’s a pretty good asset to acquire in the second round.

Nill has great trust in McDonnell and it has paid off. He trusts his pro scouts to also find gems. White and Peverley have scoured colleges to find undrafted prospects, and that’s paid off in players like Justin Hryckowian. Nill was giving Hryckowian a ton of credit the other day for storming into camp and taking a roster spot, but the Stars had to find him and give him that chance. Yes, the players deserve the majority of the credit, but knowing which players to bring into camp is half the battle.

Bottom line, it all has to work together.

Nill has given up draft picks to take chances on players like Chris Tanev, Mikael Granlund and Max Domi in recent years. Those players aren’t here anymore, and neither are the draft picks. That’s why backfilling is so huge.

Nill knows this. He works hard to make sure all of the details are taken care of. One of my favorite stories on Nill comes from Janko, who was learning the “process” of his new boss in the early days. Janko marveled that Nill does not like things in his “inbox.” He takes care of matters ASAP, and that keeps his desk and his mind clean. That way, when a big opportunity is available, he’s prepared to deal with it.

The Rantanen trade is one of the best examples of the Nill way. The Stars knew they couldn’t get Rantanen from Colorado, so they watched and waited. When Rantanen was traded to Carolina, that opened a crack. When it became clear that Rantanen didn’t want to sign with the Hurricanes long-term, Nill was on the phone.

But getting that deal done was arduous. Nill had to find the right contract for Rantanen. He had to find the right assets to give Carolina. He had to make it work with his own cap. And in the few hours he had before the trade deadline, Jim Nill made it work.

He quietly…calmly…subtly made it work.

With Rantanen in house, the Stars now have a certified superstar. With key players under manageable contracts in Hintz, Heiskanen, Johnston, Oettinger, Harley, and possibly Robertson – the Stars have a core that should be good for some time.

And that’s a tribute to Nill’s style. He methodically has made choices that have helped put this team where it is. Nill will be the first to criticize his own work. He will look at the cost of trades or contracts and wonder if he could have done better. He will ponder whether the draft choices early in his tenure were the right ones. He will look at his list of coaching hires and be honest about each.

That’s why he can move forward.

But the bottom line is Jim Nill has made more good decisions than bad, and that’s why the Stars have this wide open window of opportunity. If they can reach the summit in the term of Nill’s extension, that would be poetic.

If not, Nill knows they are in good shape for years to come. That has always been his subtle plan.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.