Bold Moves by Former Red Wings Exec Propel Stars Back to the Final Four
If the Dallas Stars manage to win the Stanley Cup, much of the credit will go to general manager Jim Nill, whose bold decisions during the season have paid off in a big way.
Nill, who previously served as assistant GM for the Detroit Red Wings, made a significant move by acquiring star winger Mikko Rantanen from Carolina at the trade deadline. In exchange for Rantanen, the Stars sent a pair of conditional first-round picks (2026, 2028) and two third-round picks to the Hurricanes, while also signing Rantanen to an eight-year, $96 million extension.
The gamble has worked out remarkably well. Rantanen is leading all playoff scorers with 9 goals and 19 points, and with victories over powerhouse teams Colorado and Winnipeg, the Stars have made it to the conference finals for the third straight year.
Dallas will face Edmonton in a rematch of last season’s series, which kicks off Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN).
During his 18 years with the Red Wings, including 15 as assistant GM, Nill helped guide Detroit to the conference finals eight times. Now with Dallas, he’s turned the Stars into a perennial contender, reaching the conference finals four times in just six years. In contrast, the Red Wings haven’t won a playoff series since Nill’s departure, while the Stars have claimed 11 series victories in the same span.
Nill’s success has earned him the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award in each of the past two seasons, and he could be a finalist once again this year.
His success isn’t limited to the Rantanen trade. In another major move, Nill acquired left wing Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci from San Jose on February 1, sending a 2025 first-round pick and third-round pick in return. Granlund has since been playing on the top line with Roope Hintz and Rantanen, while Ceci has been a steady presence on the second defensive pairing.
These acquisitions have helped fill the gap left by injuries to key players like top-line winger Jason Robertson and star defenseman Miro Heiskanen, both of whom returned in the second round.
The Stars have also excelled in the draft, under the leadership of Joe McDonnell, their director of amateur scouting, who held the same role with the Red Wings for years. In 2017, the Stars selected Heiskanen (No. 3 overall), starting goaltender Jake Oettinger (No. 26), and Robertson (No. 39), while other key draft picks include Hintz (No. 49 in 2015), Thomas Harley (No. 18 in 2019), and Wyatt Johnston (No. 23 in 2021).
Nill has supplemented this core with strategic free-agent signings (Matt Duchene, Mason Marchment, Casey DeSmith) and trades for high-impact players like Tyler Seguin (2013) and Evgeny Dadonov (2023).
Pete DeBoer, in his third season as the Stars’ head coach, is aiming to take his third different team to the Cup Final, after reaching the final with New Jersey in 2012 and San Jose in 2016. DeBoer’s teams have reached the conference finals six times in the past seven seasons and eight times in his 17-year coaching career.
Though it’s been 26 years since the Stars last won the Stanley Cup, they are poised for sustained success in the coming seasons.
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