Dallas Stars Hand Out Crucial Two-Year Extension to Key Club Member

The timing is more than a coincidence. Just hours after the Toronto Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving Monday night, the Dallas Stars have moved fast to secure their own GM, who was on an expiring contract. They've locked up Jim Nill for two more seasons.

Scratch Dallas GM Jim Nill off the list of Toronto candidates

Word is he has agreed to an extension with the Stars. Smart of them
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 31, 2026

The 67-year-old Nill could have become a free agent GM after the season, after completing the two-year deal that he's now on.

Nill has kept the Dallas Stars on track to be a Stanley Cup contender for much of his 12-years at the helm. His 63 postseason wins are the second most in the NHL over that span. The Stars have qualified for the playoffs nine times in those dozen years.

They made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020, and lost in the Conference Finals the last three years, twice to the Edmonton Oilers and once to the Vegas Golden Knights. The 2026 Playoffs will find Dallas as a serious contender once again.

Nill has made shrewd trade deadline moves and offseason signings to keep the Stars near the top of the Western Conference.

Last year was the blockbuster move to trade for Mikko Rantanen and then sign him to a long-term extension, as well as acquiring Cody Ceci and Mikael Granlund. The year before, they acquired defenseman Chris Tanev in a pre-deadline deal.

This season, Nill added Michael Bunting and Tyler Myers at the deadline for some grit and size. The Stars are 44-18-12 and sport the second-best record in the NHL, behind only their division rivals, the Colorado Avalanche.

Nill has been the Stars GM since 2013, and was named the NHL's top GM in each of the past three seasons in a panel of his peers.