Jim Nill Discusses GM Honor and Search for New Head Coach
Jim Nill, fresh off his three-peat of the NHL’s General Manager of the Year award, spoke with the news media at the Dallas Stars practice center in Frisco on Friday night.
In a brief meeting with Stars beat reporters, Nill discussed not only his GM honor but also the team’s search for a head coach, after the dismissal of Pete DeBoer earlier this month.
Search for New Head Coach
The Stars are “still in the process” of interviewing candidates, Nill said. While Glen Gulutzan and Neil Graham have seemingly emerged as the front-runners, Nill says he’s working without a deadline.
“We’re getting it narrowed down,” Nill told the media members. “I’m not gonna put a time frame on it. We’ve got July 1 coming; there’s a lot of work to be done. Whoever’s gonna be the coach is going to have to hire some staff. As we’ve seen, we’ve had some people leave for different reasons. So lots of work to be done. [We’ll make the hire] as soon as we can, but I’m not gonna rush it.”
Free Agency and NHL Draft
Free agency opens Tuesday, but it’s unlikely the Stars will be hunting any high-dollar players once the window opens. That’s according to Nill and to the realities of the math, as the Stars are working under limited cap space after already locking in deals with Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn this offseason.
“July 1, you gotta be careful, it can be a dangerous time,” Nill said. “It’s not one of those years where we’re gonna be chasing a lot of big names; we’ve made a lot of our decisions during the last year. Adding Mikko Rantanen, signing Wyatt Johnson, Jake Oettinger, Esa Lindell. A lot of those decisions were taken care of during the year.”
Nill is also juggling the Stars’ selections in the NHL draft, of which the team had no picks in the first two rounds. Their first pick was to be at No. 94 in Saturday’s third round.
Dallas Stars Head Coaching History
Since moving to Dallas in 1993, the team has made 10 head coaching hires.
Nation Reacts to Glen Gulutzan’s Likely Return
With the Stars closing in on a new HC, a Gulutzan reunion is drawing some mixed reviews.
Gulutzan, who was most recently an assistant for the Edmonton Oilers, served as the Stars’ head coach for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
Conclusion
It’s a lot on the plate of Nill, whose campaign for a fourth straight GM of the Year award looks already to be underway. With the search for a new head coach ongoing and free agency opening soon, the Stars are gearing up for an exciting offseason.
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
FAQs
Q: Who are the front-runners for the Dallas Stars head coaching position?
A: Glen Gulutzan and Neil Graham have emerged as the front-runners for the position.
Q: When will the Stars make a decision on their new head coach?
A: Nill says he’s working without a deadline, but the team will make the hire as soon as they can without rushing the process.
Q: Will the Stars be active in free agency?
A: It’s unlikely the Stars will be hunting any high-dollar players in free agency due to limited cap space.
