Jim Nill calls GM of the Year nomination an 'organizational award'

You make a lot of decisions as general manager, and Jim Nill will confirm that you don't always get them right.
But the Stars GM has a plan and a focus, and he has been able to stick to that while helping Dallas to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2008. On Wednesday, he was named one of the finalists for the NHL's GM of the Year Award because of it.

"You start with a game plan and it looks good on paper, but you never know how it's going to come together," Nill said. "There's been some blips and some roadblocks, but overall to be sitting where we are right now, we are in a good spot."
That's an understatement. When you consider the fact that Nill had to fire his head coach in December, had to help get his team through a series of ups and downs, and then had to get them ready for "bubble hockey" because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this has been a spectacular success.
"It's been the strangest season ever," said Stars president Brad Alberts. "We started with the Winter Classic and now it seems like that was years ago. It's something different every day, and you really can't make this stuff up. For Jim to be able to navigate that and get our franchise to a play like this is a testament of the job he's done."
Nill will get a lot of credit for the moves he made in the offseason, signing free agents Joe Pavelski, Corey Perry and Andrej Sekera. He also will get a lot of credit for bringing in promising young players like Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov. But he said what he has done is hire good people and let them do their job.
"What's great about being nominated for this is this it really is about the organization," Nill said Wednesday. "This is an organizational award. It starts with support from your ownership, having a great management team, scouts, coaches and on down to the players. In the end, it's all about the people you surround yourself with."

That was never more apparent than when Nill had to fire coach Jim Montgomery for unprofessional behavior, and then hand the team over to Rick Bowness in December. It was a shock to a team that was playing well under Montgomery, and it was a challenge to a 65-year-old coach who hadn't run an NHL bench in 16 years.
But the fact that Bowness was available and had a veteran coaching staff to back him up has turned out to be very fortuitous and very smart.
"When you look at how we came through that, I think a lot of the credit for that was because of how Jim built the staff," Alberts said. "When you bring in a rookie head coach, you need some veterans in the coaching staff, and hiring Rick Bowness was a fantastic decision. So when you have to make a tough decision, Rick Bowness is the perfect guy, perfect personality, to put behind the bench to calm everything down. That's paid off because of smart planning."
Nill, of course, credited Bowness with making the transition work.
"We are reaping the rewards right now of him having a chance to put his stamp on this team," Nill said. "What he's done right now, he's made a strong statement. The most important thing is watching how the players react, and when you see how players react to a coach and the decisions he has to make, that's important."
Likewise, the decision to get Perry and Pavelski has been huge in the playoffs, as has the decision to get back-up goalie Anton Khudobin two years ago. Because of the team's depth, Dallas has been able to adapt to all of the challenges of living in a controlled environment and facing some very good competition.
"When you put a team together, there are a lot of different pieces," Nill said. To have success in the playoffs, you almost have to have a combination of two teams. You have to be skilled enough to get into the playoffs, and then once you get here, you have to be heavy and hard enough to survive, because it is a battle."

"That's why I tip my hat to the scouts, because they have found the Miro Heiskanens, the (Denis) Gurianovs and then they have found the Joel Kivirantas," Nill added about the depth forward who tallied a hat trick in a Game 7 victory over Colorado. "It's our coaching staff down in Austin, Texas doing a great job of developing these guys. These players they come to you and they're not finished products. They've got to bide their time and they've got to buy into the program. It takes a lot of guys to work with these guys to make the finished product. It starts with the player buying in, but it's all the other people doing a good job, too."
Of course, a big part of the work Nill does is behind the scenes and off the ice.
Stephen Johns has been battling post-traumatic headaches for two years, and Nill made it a priority to protect Johns and allow him the time to heal. Johns returned to play in January and was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Bowness said he had doubts before heading to the bubble, but Nill was there for his interim head coach, as well.
"I'm sure we haven't seen half of all the stuff he has to deal with," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "You really can't say enough good things about Jim, someone who cares about every player, every person in this organization, a big family guy."
Nill also was recently named as part of the Executive Inclusion Commission in the NHL's battle to fight racism, and said it was a privilege to be invited.
"We're going through a lot these days, and there's a lot of things we have to figure out in our communities and in the world," Nill said. "There are bigger things than just hockey. It's showing respect for your neighbors. If we treat our neighbors how we treat ourselves and show the love to people, we're going to get through this. It's just great to be a part of this."
Alberts said that's just part of how NIll sees his job.

"He really does stand for the things you want your franchise to stand for," Alberts said. "He's a great family man, he's great with the players, and he wants to win as much as anyone else. We're proud to have him."
Nill is one of three finalists, along with Lou Lamoriello of the New York Islanders and Julien BriseBois of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Voting was done among a group of NHL general managers, league executives and media members after the second round of the playoffs. The winner will be announced Saturday.
If Nill wins, he said it would be a victory for the entire franchise.
"I give credit to our organization from the top to the bottom, from the management team right down to the coaches and players to make sure we kept our head above water," Nill said. "We came back from the pandemic, and right from that point on, I could see the commitment from our guys.
"That's what makes you proud to see the guys through all of the different things that happened during the season, to stick with it, believe in themselves, go through adversity and be here today."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.