NHL | Stars’ Jim Nill named GM of the Year

(New York) Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars has been named the NHL’s Most Outstanding General Manager for the past year.

Nill, who is in his 11th season at the helm of the Stars, was elected after the second round of the playoffs by a panel of NHL executives and members of the print and electronic media.

He received this honor for a second consecutive year.

Nill finished ahead of Patrik Allvin of the Vancouver Canucks and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers.

The Stars dominated the Western Conference with a 52-21-9 record and 113 points, their highest total since the 1998-99 season, when they won the Stanley Cup.

The team also reached the Western Conference final for the third time in five years. The Stars’ top three playoff scorers (Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen) and their goaltender (Jake Oettinger) were all drafted by Nill.

Nill added depth to the team throughout last year, signing Matt Duchene, Craig Smith and Sam Steel during the off-season, then landing Chris Tanev before the end of the trade period.