CHICAGO — Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill is getting calls and the No. 3 pick in Friday’s draft is still available, for the right cost.
“There’s a value,” Nill said. “We like the spot where in. If there is something that makes sense we’d do it. I’m not going to make the move for the sake of making a move.”
So what type of return are the Stars looking for?
“If you’re going to move a pick that is an asset like that, it’s going to be a pretty good player that’s coming into your lineup at a certain age,” Nill said.
Nill isn’t tipping his hand, but he confirmed it’s going to be a winger or a defender. He was asked directly about going after a center after losing Cody Eakin in the expansion draft and said he has faith in six young centers coming up through the system.
He didn’t name those players directly, but we can assume Nill meant younger centers and was including current NHL players. If that is the case that list of six likely includes Radek Faksa, Devin Shore, Jason Dickinson, Roope Hintz, Gemel Smith. For the final spot Nill could be referring to Justin Dowling, who is 26 and played nine NHL games last season.
Assistant coaches
The Stars announced a trio of assistant coaches on Thursday morning, re-hiring Stu Barnes, Curt Fraser, and Rick Wilson as assistant coaches in Dallas.
The Stars only had two assistant coaches last season (Fraser and James Patrick) and the addition of younger coach in Barnes, 46, is a good fit with Hitchcock’s grinding style.
“Stu is an upcoming coach, he’s been away for a couple years,” Nill said. “Young guys, he’s got lots of energy. Smart man and he’s got a good connection with players. I think he brings a fresh point of view for us.”
Wilson has a history with Hitchcock, while Fraser impressed Hitchcock in interviews after he was given a chance to interview with the next coach after Lindy Ruff’s contract wasn’t renewed.
“Ken was comfortable with Curt,” Nill said. “Curt had to earn his trust and Curt did that. (Hitchcock) was happy bringing Curt back.”
Nill said he considers the NHL coaching staff filled at this point.
Rule review
NHL general managers reviewed potential rule changes on Thursday in Chicago, and one idea that was discussed was issuing a penalty for a team losing a challenge.
There was also a discussion on offsides, and Nill isn’t in the camp looking to change the rule as some have suggested.
“Offsides is offsides,” Nill said. “The rule has been in place a long time. When you start making changes to rules they start growing arms and legs, you have to be careful.”
GMs also discussed timeouts and not allowing them after an icing, no changes were officially suggested but it was discussed at lengthy.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.