Stars, GM Jim Nill Agree To Two-Year Extension
The Stars and general manager Jim Nill have agreed to a two-year extension, the team announced Tuesday. Nill’s current deal was set to expire after this season, per Sean Shapiro of Elite Prospects, but it’s now clear he won’t be a candidate for any other GM vacancies this offseason.
Nill, 67, took over the GM’s chair in Dallas way back in 2013. When Doug Armstrong transitions out of his GM role with the Blues to serve as their president of hockey operations this summer, Nill will become the second-longest-tenured GM in the league behind only the Jets’ Kevin Cheveldayoff.
While the Stars have yet to win a Stanley Cup during his tenure, few would leave Nill off their list of the best of the best executives in the league. He has won the NHL’s GM of the Year award three years running and has finally emerged as a managerial fixture for Canada’s national team, serving as an assistant GM to Armstrong for their 4 Nations Face-Off championship last year and this year’s Olympic silver medal.
That’s not to say Nill doesn’t have any Stanley Cup rings. He has four of them, in fact, all with the Red Wings as their director of player development and then assistant GM to Ken Holland from 1994 to 2013.
Since Nill took the helm, he’s steered the Stars to a 549-345-125 (.600) record – the eighth-best in the league over the last 13 seasons. That includes a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and three consecutive Western Conference Final appearances, although they’ll have their work cut out for them to get back there again this season in a cutthroat Central Division.
There’s few areas in which Nill doesn’t excel. His draft record, particularly in the mid-to-latter half of his tenure, is impeccable. He’s gotten great value out of late-first selections like Wyatt Johnston and Jake Oettinger, second-round picks like Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, while nailing his only top-five pick with Miro Heiskanen at third overall in 2017.
There are few trades that haven’t worked out in his favor – even stretching back to his first summer on the job, when his Tyler Seguin/Loui Eriksson blockbuster with the Bruins has ended up paying dividends for his club more than a decade later. A look at the Stars’ books reveals very few negative-value contracts, aside from a free-agency misstep with Ilya Lyubushkin in 2024, which he’ll be trying to offload this summer.
Nill will now get to continue steering the ship with the Stars set for playoff and championship contention for another few years, at least. He’ll be joined by a slightly new-look group of assistants that now includes Rich Peverley – acquired as a player in that Seguin deal – who has been either behind the Stars’ bench or in their front office since a heart condition forced him into retirement in 2014.
Image courtesy of Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the news.
Stars Recall Cameron Hughes
The Stars have recalled forward Cameron Hughes from AHL Texas, per a team announcement on Monday.
Hughes is expected to dress for Tuesday’s game against the Bruins in place of Michael Bunting, who left Sunday’s overtime loss to the Flyers in the first period with a lower-body injury. If he does, it will be the 29-year-old’s first NHL appearance in nearly five years. He only has two games to his name, one each with Boston in November 2019 and May 2021.
A sixth-round pick by the Bruins back in 2015, Hughes has since become an extremely productive AHL mainstay. The first sign of a breakout came when the former University of Wisconsin captain had 21 points in 25 games for the Providence Bruins in the COVID-shortened 2021 season. He has since played a top-six, veteran leadership role on two-way deals in the Boston, Seattle, and now Dallas organizations.
Ever since that initial breakout, Hughes has produced close to a point per game but has never been able to crack it. He’s found a new gear in Cedar Park, Texas, this season. Through 63 games for the AHL Stars, he has a league-leading 50 assists and is tied for second in overall scoring with 66 points.
A one-time AHL All-Star who was part of back-to-back Calder Cup Final runs with the Kraken’s affiliate in Coachella Valley, he’ll now get a chance to play fill-in duties for Dallas down the stretch. He can play both center and left wing, an important factor for a club now missing four regular forwards in Bunting, Radek Faksa, Roope Hintz, and Sam Steel, plus frequent press-box option Nathan Bastian.
Michael Bunting Leaves Game With Lower-Body Injury
- Already dealing with a few injuries to their forward corps, the trend continues for the Dallas Stars. During their ongoing contest against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Stars shared that Michael Bunting is unlikely to return due to a lower-body injury. Bunting has not returned after skating for six shifts, and the injury update was vague.
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Roope Hintz, Radek Faksa Expected Back For Playoffs
The Dallas Stars got a major boost to their forward corps yesterday when they welcomed back Mikko Rantanen. Unfortunately, they’ll likely have to wait until the Stanley Cup playoffs to have all of their forward depth back.
Like Rantanen, Faksa is dealing with an injury he suffered during the Winter Olympics in Milan. Meanwhile, Hintz has been recovering from a lower-body injury he suffered during the Stars’ loss to the Colorado Avalanche on March 6th. Regardless, being one of only two teams to have already clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Stars will spend their remaining nine games ensuring home-ice advantage against the Minnesota Wild in Round One.
Latest On Nathan Bastian
Pittsburgh Penguins legends Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both were full participants in practice today, while Bryan Rust and Noel Acciari were absent for maintenance days, reported by Michelle Crechiolo, Penguins Team Reporter.
Head coach Dan Muse went on to say that all besides Malkin will travel with the team for tomorrow’s game at the Islanders, while his status requires further evaluation.
Crosby left mid-game at Ottawa last week, and missed yesterday’s 6-3 loss to Dallas. Meanwhile, Malkin has been out for the Pens’ last three games. As a result, they’ve secured just two points in that time while short handed up front. Pittsburgh has just one regulation win in their last seven tries, but the team is still expected to return to the postseason this year and cap off an impressive rejuvenating campaign.
Even if they’re not back to full strength tomorrow in a big inter-divisional tilt on Long Island, Muse should have his stars back in time for Tuesday against the desperate Red Wings.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Blue Jackets will be missing Dmitri Voronkov tonight against Boston, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The forward left their last game after blocking a shot in the hand area. He’s thought to be week-to-week. Voronkov has 32 points in 63 games, a slight dip from last year’s breakout 47 point effort. The numbers are hardly an issue as he’s mainly deployed in a complementary role, and the team supplemented their forward corps by adding Mason Marchment and Conor Garland. Currently holding onto the second Wild Card spot, the club hopes they’ll be playing into late April, enough time for Voronkov to return.
- Stars forward Nathan Bastian won’t play tonight in Philadelphia, noted by Mike Heika, Senior Staff Writer for Stars.com. The forward was injured last night against the Penguins after a hand injury from a shot, similar to Voronkov’s above, and left mid-game. As a result Adam Erne will fill in. Both Bastian and Erne are virtually identical in their roles for the Stars. The former second-round picks were both signed for $775k to provide fourth line depth for the high flying club. Bastian has played 36 games so far to Erne’s 37. They have essentially the same stat lines, with six and five goals respectively, one assist each.
Stars Activate Mikko Rantanen Off Injured Reserve
The Stars will welcome back one of their top players as they kick off a back-to-back set this afternoon in Pittsburgh. The team announced (Twitter link) they have have activated winger Mikko Rantanen off injured reserve.
Rantanen was one of several impactful NHL players to be injured at the Olympics last month. He sustained a lower-body injury in the semi-final game against Canada and hasn’t played since then. Considering the long break for the Olympics, Rantanen last suited up for Dallas back on February 4th.
At that time, Rantanen led the team in assists and points. He’s still the team leader in assists with 49 although he now sits third on the team in points with 69 through 53 games. He’s now 16 behind Jason Robertson and nine behind Wyatt Johnston, both of whom have played in all 72 appearances this season.
Rantanen’s absence was never originally expected to keep him out this long. At the time he landed on IR last month, he had previously been listed as doubtful for their first game back after the break and questionable after that. Instead, he wound up missing 15 games.
At this point, it’s highly unlikely that Dallas will be able to chase down Colorado for the Central Division lead; they enter play today with a nine-point deficit in that regard. With that in mind, their focus will likely just be trying to lock down home ice advantage for their eventual first-round matchup against Minnesota.
With that in mind and Dallas playing in a back-to-back set, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if Rantanen played today but was given tomorrow off for precautionary reasons over throwing him into two games in barely 24 hours. At any rate, getting a top-line winger back should be a big lift for the Stars heading into the stretch run.
Steel Returns To Dallas, Likely To Miss Rest Of Road Trip
Stars center Sam Steel has returned home early from their road trip due to an undisclosed injury sustained on Thursday, relays team reporter Mike Heika (Twitter link). With three games left on the trip, it stands to reason that he’ll now be out at least that long. The 28-year-old is in the middle of a career year, posting 12 goals and 21 assists through 72 appearances. Dallas is now down to just 12 healthy forwards at the moment although the hope is that winger Mikko Rantanen may be ready to return for one of their games this weekend.
Stars Promote Rich Peverley To Assistant GM
The Dallas Stars have made a change to their front office. Rich Peverley has been promoted to Assistant General Manager, in addition to his role as Director of Player Personnel. He becomes the third assistant GM in Dallas’ front office, alongside Scott White and Mark Janko. Peverley is in his 10th season in a managerial position with the Stars. His front office career began with six seasons as the Director of Player Development, before he was promoted to Director of Player Personnel in 2021.
Peverley’s history in Dallas stretches beyond his front office career. He played through nine seasons in the NHL, including one full season with Dallas to end his career. He was a valuable depth forward during his playing days, offering two-way responsibility and fearless physicality. His career was brought to an early end due to health issues in 2013. Peverley underwent a surgical procedure to address an irregular heartbeat before the 2013-14 season. Six months later, he collapsed on the Stars’ bench during a game, marking a lapse in his heart health. Peverley underwent further heart surgery to address the issue. He missed the final 18 games of Dallas’ season and ultimately wouldn’t play in another pro hockey game.
Peverley had one year on his standard player contract left when he experienced his health concern. He spent the final year as a volunteer coach with the AHL’s Texas Stars for the 2014-15 campaign, then began his managerial career in 2015-16. At the time, Dallas had only made one postseason in the last seven seasons. With Peverley’s help in player development, Dallas has grown far above those struggles, and now stands as a perennial top team in the Western Conference. Dallas made it to the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals and has lost in the Western Conference Finals in each of the last three seasons. Their push to the top of the standings has been driven by young stars Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Miro Heiskanen, and Thomas Harley – each drafted by Dallas during Peverley’s time in the front office.
A move to assistant GM will mark another step forward in Peverley’s career, amidst another successful season in Dallas. The 43 year old will help Dallas approach an off-season with 10 pending free agents, including captain Jamie Benn and top restricted-free agents Robertson and Mavrik Bourque.
Dallas Stars Sign Aram Minnetian To Entry-Level Deal
The Dallas Stars announced that they have signed defenseman Aram Minnetian to a three-year entry-level contract, set to begin in the 2026-27 season. Minnetian will first sign an ATO to play for the AHL’s Texas Stars for the rest of the season.
A fourth-round pick of the Stars at the 2023 draft, Minnetian has spent the last three years playing college hockey at Boston College. By signing this contract, he has concluded his collegiate career at the end of his junior year. The 21-year-old New Jersey native developed into an impactful two-way top-four defenseman in college, utilizing his above-average skating and range to provide value on both ends of the ice.
He was the Eagles’ No. 1 defenseman this season, playing a heavy workload including a team-leading amount of ice time on the penalty kill. He entered the season ranked as Dallas’ No. 3 prospect by the team at Elite Prospects, with the outlet projecting him as a future No. 4 or No. 5 defenseman in the NHL. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked Minnetian as Dallas’ No. 6 prospect, calling him a “decisive, confident, consistent player in all areas.”
Minnetian will join an AHL stars team that looks to be a safe bet to reach the league’s postseason. Signing there will allow him to get his feet wet in pro hockey in a lower-stakes environment than the NHL, while still allowing him to play in important games for a team looking to chase down a Calder Cup.
Stars Notes: Rantanen, Hintz, Faksa, Robertson
There’s some light at the end of the tunnel on the injury front for Dallas. Speaking on DFW The Ticket’s Bruce LeVine (all Twitter links), GM Jim Nill indicated that winger Mikko Rantanen is nearing a return to the lineup.
Injured back in the Olympics, the 29-year-old still sits third on the team in scoring despite missing the last 12 games, tallying 20 goals and 49 assists in 54 games in his first full season in Dallas. Nill noted that he has been skating on his own for the last week and is expected to accompany the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. If all goes well, he could return for one of the back-to-back games against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Dallas is only three points behind Colorado heading into tonight’s action for first in the Western Conference, a spot that would give them a much easier matchup in the first round compared to taking on Minnesota, one of the top teams in the league. Getting Rantanen back with a couple of weeks left in the season would certainly give them a boost in that pursuit.
Unfortunately for the Stars, the other injury news isn’t quite as positive. Nill added that center Roope Hintz has yet to resume skating as he continues to battle a lower-body injury that has kept him out for a little more than two weeks. At this point, the team is hopeful that the 29-year-old could be back for the final week of the season or the start of the playoffs. Hintz has played in 53 games this season, collecting 19 goals and 25 assists.
Meanwhile, Radek Faksa’s situation is even murkier. Nill noted that the center is dealing with a “unique injury” with “really no history as far as healing time.” As a result, there is no timetable for his return although they are hopeful that he could be ready for the playoffs. In his first season back with Dallas after returning in free agency this summer, Faksa has 17 points in 56 games while being their most-used forward on the penalty kill.
Nill was also asked about Jason Robertson’s contract discussions. The winger is slated to become a restricted free agent this summer where he will be owed a qualifying offer of $9.3MM. He’ll also only be one season away from UFA eligibility and could simply elect to go for a hearing, take a one-year award, and test the open market in 2027. That’s an outcome the Stars are clearly hoping to avoid.
Nill indicated that he has held discussions with Robertson’s new representation; back in January, both Robertson brothers hired Octagon’s Andy Scott as their new agent. However, with the stretch run and playoffs ahead, both sides agree that they want the 26-year-old focused on playing at the moment. That suggests that future talks have been tabled for the time being and will be rekindled in the offseason. Robertson is the leading scorer for the Stars this season, picking up 38 goals and 44 assists in 69 games. It’s the fourth straight season that he has reached the 80-point mark.