News Article: Nill trying to bring Detroit success to Dallas

[Bench]

NHL.com feature on Nill's new gig in Dallas.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=678048&navid=nhl:topheads

Like the 28 other general managers who are not named Ken Holland, Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill will have quite a bit of job security if he replicates the success and stability the Detroit Red Wings have had during the past two decades.

"Half of [Detroit]'s success would make me happy because they've done something that is hard to do in today's sporting business," Nill told NHL.com earlier this week.

On the scouts.

Nill said he treaded carefully before hiring McDonnell and Leach out of respect for Holland, who offered to re-sign the scouts. Holland understands why McDonnell and Leach followed Nill to Dallas.

"On one hand you'd like to see people stay, but I understand relationships and friendships," Holland told NHL.com. "Joe McDonnell has a relationship and a friendship with Jimmy Nill that Joe and I don't have because we have different job descriptions. They did a lot of great work that's been left behind for us."

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[Dotter]

Over a year later, how do you feel about Jim Nill's work in Dallas recently? They seem to have an offensively loaded team, but aren't having much success winning right now. I'm starting to see *some* grumbling about him from Dallas fans. Not sure if it is hyperbole like Holland gets in Detroit, or if they are starting to feel he's hopeless? Of course those are just a few vocal posters, there are plenty that are willing to give him more time, but seems he is on a short leash right now.

Thoughts?

 

[14ari13]

Over a year later, how do you feel about Jim Nill's work in Dallas recently? They seem to have an offensively loaded team, but aren't having much success winning right now. I'm starting to see *some* grumbling about him from Dallas fans. Not sure if it is hyperbole like Holland gets in Detroit, or if they are starting to feel he's hopeless? Of course those are just a few vocal posters, there are plenty that are willing to give him more time, but seems he is on a short leash right now.

Thoughts?

West is very tough and his job is not easy one at all. I feel like 12 teams from the west would make playoffs in the East.

 

[Sadekuuro]

Over a year later, how do you feel about Jim Nill's work in Dallas recently? They seem to have an offensively loaded team, but aren't having much success winning right now. I'm starting to see *some* grumbling about him from Dallas fans. Not sure if it is hyperbole like Holland gets in Detroit, or if they are starting to feel he's hopeless? Of course those are just a few vocal posters, there are plenty that are willing to give him more time, but seems he is on a short leash right now.

Thoughts?

He did very well to get Tyler Seguin, that's the type of piece you can build around. But he needs defense.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Over a year later, how do you feel about Jim Nill's work in Dallas recently? They seem to have an offensively loaded team, but aren't having much success winning right now. I'm starting to see *some* grumbling about him from Dallas fans. Not sure if it is hyperbole like Holland gets in Detroit, or if they are starting to feel he's hopeless? Of course those are just a few vocal posters, there are plenty that are willing to give him more time, but seems he is on a short leash right now.

Thoughts?

their defense sucked when nill stepped over and it still sucks. biggest addition has been gonchar who is #6 at best. they need at least one top pairing guy. if he's an upper tier top pairing guy, just one might do it but if not, they'd probably need more.

stars had missed the playoffs 5 years in a row when nill stepped in so fanbase is getting impatient.

nill is a patient man. and smart man.

long-term, good things tend to happen to smart man.

getting top pairing dman isn't easy. best way to get them is to draft them but that takes time. seguin and benn are in their primes now and on very good contracts, spezza is still good so it would make sense to make a push for contender status from that perspective.

maybe nill overrated his defense or wants so see what he really has in them before making a move. but i think they still should've gone after guy like strålman last summer.

 

[Top Shelfer]

Notice former Red Wing employees Yzerman and Nill both GMs now roster flat out goons yet Kenny refuses to replace toughness lost from Holmstom, McCarty etc retiring over years and even Brad Stuart void never filled in hitting department.
Oleksiak is a monster sized defenseman, young a work in progress and Honka years from NHL but 1st round defenseman pick this summer.
I never liked Dallas but now Nill is GM they are enjoyable for me to watch much like Stevie Y's bolts.
Needless to say Kenny and his Weiss acquisition not impressing me nor soft overall roster not made for playoff run.

 

[Henkka]

Yzerman has 40% (2/5 seasons) playoff hitting percentage and Nill has positioned his team to the last place in the conference. Still a bit building to be done...

I don't know why Julius Honka's name is mentioned when talking about physicality. He is just a skilled puck-movin d.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Notice former Red Wing employees Yzerman and Nill both GMs now roster flat out goons yet Kenny refuses to replace toughness lost from Holmstom, McCarty etc retiring over years and even Brad Stuart void never filled in hitting department.
Oleksiak is a monster sized defenseman, young a work in progress and Honka years from NHL but 1st round defenseman pick this summer.
I never liked Dallas but now Nill is GM they are enjoyable for me to watch much like Stevie Y's bolts.
Needless to say Kenny and his Weiss acquisition not impressing me nor soft overall roster not made for playoff run.

Yeah, that's that problem. Tough guys.

 

[Frk It]

Over a year later, how do you feel about Jim Nill's work in Dallas recently? They seem to have an offensively loaded team, but aren't having much success winning right now. I'm starting to see *some* grumbling about him from Dallas fans. Not sure if it is hyperbole like Holland gets in Detroit, or if they are starting to feel he's hopeless? Of course those are just a few vocal posters, there are plenty that are willing to give him more time, but seems he is on a short leash right now.

Thoughts?

Thoughts?

I'd take Nill over Holland any day of the week.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Yzerman has 40% (2/5 seasons) playoff hitting percentage and Nill has positioned his team to the last place in the conference. Still a bit building to be done...

I don't know why Julius Honka's name is mentioned when talking about physicality. He is just a skilled puck-movin d.

it's 2/4 or 50 playoff % for yzerman but yeah.

 

[Xvash2]

I still can't believe the Stars drafted Campbell over Fowler back in 2010, right after they had acquired Kari Lehtonen. Imagine if they hadn't messed up back then, 1/6th of their problems right now would be solved.

 

[drw02]

their defense sucked when nill stepped over and it still sucks. biggest addition has been gonchar who is #6 at best. they need at least one top pairing guy. if he's an upper tier top pairing guy, just one might do it but if not, they'd probably need more.

stars had missed the playoffs 5 years in a row when nill stepped in so fanbase is getting impatient.

nill is a patient man. and smart man.

long-term, good things tend to happen to smart man.

getting top pairing dman isn't easy. best way to get them is to draft them but that takes time. seguin and benn are in their primes now and on very good contracts, spezza is still good so it would make sense to make a push for contender status from that perspective.

maybe nill overrated his defense or wants so see what he really has in them before making a move. but i think they still should've gone after guy like strålman last summer.

Seems like goaltending has let Dallas down as well. I've never been a big Lehtonen fan, talented but inconsistent....haven't seen many Stars games this year but his numbers aren't good. And Lindback might be the worst goalie earning an NHL paycheck.

 

[InjuredChoker]

Seems like goaltending has let Dallas down as well. I've never been a big Lehtonen fan, talented but inconsistent....haven't seen many Stars games this year but his numbers aren't good. And Lindback might be the worst goalie earning an NHL paycheck.

D is bad, lehtonen has let some goals that he would definitely like to have back and i agree that lindbäck is one of the worst goalies out there. that's not a good combo for your GA and sv%. i think even monster is better than lindbäck.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Both Nill and Yzerman are doing wonders with their perspective clubs in Dallas and Tampa Bay granted it has taken Yzerman maybe a little longer then it has Nill but both Tampa Bay and Dallas are on the right track seems like Holland has taken the Wings in the opposite direction IMHO.

 

[14ari13]

Notice former Red Wing employees Yzerman and Nill both GMs now roster flat out goons yet Kenny refuses to replace toughness lost from Holmstom, McCarty etc retiring over years and even Brad Stuart void never filled in hitting department.
Oleksiak is a monster sized defenseman, young a work in progress and Honka years from NHL but 1st round defenseman pick this summer.
I never liked Dallas but now Nill is GM they are enjoyable for me to watch much like Stevie Y's bolts.
Needless to say Kenny and his Weiss acquisition not impressing me nor soft overall roster not made for playoff run.

+1.
I want fighting. Hockey without the fighting is not good.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Both Nill and Yzerman are doing wonders with their perspective clubs in Dallas and Tampa Bay granted it has taken Yzerman maybe a little longer then it has Nill but both Tampa Bay and Dallas are on the right track seems like Holland has taken the Wings in the opposite direction IMHO.

Don't really agree, Yzerman has made the playoffs twice and inherited a top 3 player in the game. He has them tracking correctly but the fire Holland threads would have a lot more power and logic to them if he had done what Yzerman has done.

I like both guys and they are trying to instill a culture. That has given them both a certain flexibility.

In any event Nill right now seems to have answered one of the questions we had about him. He is eager to push some of the youth in, sure he did acquire a lot of the veteran talent, but the problem in Dallas this year is he turned over his D to a lot of recent AHL champions with a lot of promise that are not performing. Their D structure is bad and they are relying on guys that are not ready to handle the job and the chemistry has fallen apart on their backend. The logic behind some of what Holland does even while I have disagreed with it myself at times is really on display in Dallas, you bloody too many young guys on the back-end at once with roles beyond them and you find yourself in big trouble.

I think all three men have good hockey minds, but the idea that Nill and Yzerman are taking Holland to the woodshed isn't all that logical. The grass is not always greener.

I hope they have success against everyone but the Wings. The sainthood these guys enjoy over a guy that has never missed the playoffs and has littered the league with people he promoted and surrounded himself with is amusing at times. Each situation is unique, the Wings are not a tear it down team, it dictates different actions. With that said Yzerman took a step backwards after a deep run but seems to have regained what he was working on and it would seem this might be a season that is going to get away from Nill, even while early that defense is putrid and it is hard to see them working it out into a playoff spot, so it would be a step back for Dallas this year if that happens.

Holland is in the midst of his second reconstruction of the Wings keeping them competitive all the while. It is a little harder than some make it out to be, it is something nobody else really boasts on their resume, even Lou is struggling to do this in New Jersey these days.

 

[tfong]

+1.
I want fighting. Hockey without the fighting is not good.

Im like the complete opposite lol. I want a super skilled super euro puck posession team. U can have toughness without the fighting.

 

[Retire91]

I still can't believe the Stars drafted Campbell over Fowler back in 2010, right after they had acquired Kari Lehtonen. Imagine if they hadn't messed up back then, 1/6th of their problems right now would be solved.

Its too soon to rule out Campbell he is only 22. Not that I disagree Folwer would be more useful to them 'right now'

Personally I would take Nill or Yzerman over Holland. Letting those two guys walk from the organization was a big mistake.

 

[Dotter]

Needless to say Kenny and his Weiss acquisition not impressing me

Yet majority of fans (not all), but a majority were all on the Weiss train. He was the top UFA and Holland landed him. Many other teams were after him, too. Nobody knew he was going to have so many health issues.

I'd take Nill over Holland any day of the week.

Yet neither accomplished anything of significance (Stanley Cup). Yzerman inherited a top offensive team with top draft picks from tanking.... yet he has an almighty 50% success rate making playoffs. If Holland missed the playoffs as often as Yzerman, people would be hunting him down with pitch forks, tar and feathers.

the idea that Nill and Yzerman are taking Holland to the woodshed isn't all that logical. The grass is not always greener.

This is the truth right here. Knee jerk reactions thinking the grass is greener... and it is far from it. Nill and Yzerman are great hockey minds, are far inferior to Kenny Holland. If they have 1-ounce of success as Holland has had, I'll be surprised.

Nill and Holland were a good team. But without Holland, Nill isn't all that mighty.

Personally I would take Nill or Yzerman over Holland. Letting those two guys walk from the organization was a big mistake.

In the last 3 years, Yzerman and his Lightning only made playoffs once. And it is starting to look like Nill might be having a fire sale of a life time very soon.

If Holland brought that kind of lack of success in Detroit, he'd be public enemy #1 by everyone on the DRWs board.

In my mind, Yzerman and Nill are mediocre without Holland holding their hands. No doubt in my mind, give Holland the kind of assets TBL have, and he'll be in the mix of winning Championships every year. Then people will be on here crying about that.

On that note, I'll conclude my post with:

The grass is not always greener.

 

[InjuredChoker]

nill isn't going to start firesale. this is just part of the process. he's preached patience all along. he might sell some vets but it won't be firesale.

holland inherited allstar team. yzerman and nill inherited teams that had talent but have/had many flaws. cupboards bare on inadequate depth. nill had cody eakin as his #1 when he got the team. now he has seguin and spezza as #1 punch.

and it's laughable to claim that nill isn't mighty without holland. but have made the playoffs once sine they went separated ways and the other did it in much tougher conference. and he had worse team to start build on. we can judge their performances or lack of it in 5 years, not now. holland hasn't done **** either since nill left.

yzerman definitely made some mistakes. overrated his G (first roloson, then lindbäck). didn't improve depth enough after losing few key players and going to conference finals. lacked two way forwards and D until lately. maybe it was just part of the process as they have it all now.

but long-term, the process has been good. no terrible contracts (carle deal isn't the best but it's passable), tons of young talent, one of the best in NHL, drafting also seems to be excellent. seem to have very good coach. look pretty good from cap perspective. need to lock up stamkos long-term, there's the next challenge.

 

[Frk It]

Don't really agree, Yzerman has made the playoffs twice and inherited a top 3 player in the game.

And Holland inherited Yzerman, Lidstrom, Fedorov, The best European scout ever that got him Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kronwall, Franzen, Filppula, Hudler, Ericsson and an unlimited amount of money to spend.....

 

[ArGarBarGar]

And Holland inherited Yzerman, Lidstrom, Fedorov, The best European scout ever that got him Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kronwall, Franzen, Filppula, Hudler, Ericsson and an unlimited amount of money to spend.....

Are all draft picks inherited, now? Or are we going to pick and choose because one GM's scout is well-known and the others is not? That's a huge double standard.

 

[Frk It]

Are all draft picks inherited, now? Or are we going to pick and choose because one GM's scout is well-known and the others is not? That's a huge double standard.

Huh? Yzerman, Lidstrom, and Fedorov were already on the roster. The gold mine that is Hakan Andersson was already employed as well, who is credited for the scouting and discovery of the players I listed.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Huh?

You talk about who Holland's scouts drafted as a negative as if Yzerman's scouts also haven't drafted players who are contributing to their success.

 

[Heaton]

Huh? Yzerman, Lidstrom, and Fedorov were already on the roster. The gold mine that is Hakan Andersson was already employed as well, who is credited for the scouting and discovery of the players I listed.

What current GM isn't in the same situation?