The Dallas Stars are one of the NHL's best-run franchises, and GM Jim Nill has been recognized for it by winning the 2023-24 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. It's the second straight year Nill has won the honor, and Nill spoke to THN.com in late July on the state of the Stars, the growth of hockey in Texas, and more.

In June, Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill was honored with the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for the second consecutive season. Nill, who has been at the helm in Dallas since 2013, recently took time with THN.com to discuss the state of the Stars, the changes he's made to the lineup, and much more. This is Part One of a six-part interview series with Nill.

The Hockey News: You had a good run as a team last season, but how would you characterize the moves you’ve made and the changes you’ve made to the roster this summer?

Jim Nill: I think last year we showed we’re a good team. Like you said, there’s changes, there’s always going to be changes. So the question is, how do those new players fit in? And then the other part of it, there’s the evolution of the younger players. Last year at this time, we didn’t have (Logan) Stankoven on the team, we didn’t have Mavrik Bourque on the team. And I think (defenseman Lian) Bichsel’s getting a step closer. So, between the changes you make and the evolution of young players, that’s a little bit of a question mark, but that’s kind of how our game and our team and the business is set up – there’s always going to be changes, and you hope that as the season starts out that you’re a good team. And then you wait and see where you’re at and where you have to make changes, if you need to.

THN: Does this also stress the crucial importance of draft and development? The Stars have been really good at producing gems from lower in the draft. Can you overstate the importance of that element of the business?

JN: Well, it’s very important just because of the cap. In a cap system, you’re going to have players –and rightfully so – that, as their careers go on, and they’re getting better and better, they’re going to get raises. That’s just the evolution and the way it is, and they deserve that. So how do you keep your team as the same team, or a better team, if all of a sudden there’s an increase of $7-8-9–10-million on your payroll, and you've got a cap that’s only going up $3 million? The numbers don’t add up, so it’s so important to have those youngsters coming in that are on entry-level contracts that give you the ability to pay those players to keep them on your team and still have a good team. That’s the balancing act.

THN: I wanted to ask you about the Stars’ young players. You mentioned Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque – different players that have had different paths in the NHL. Then there’s players likeJason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, who any team would love to have on their roster. Do you think the development of youngsters in the NHL is approached any differently than they were in, say, your time as a management member of the Red Wings?

JN: I’d say it’s different for every player. There are young players over the years we’ve had that we brought up and saw that they weren’t ready at that point. But there are others who’ve adjusted very well. There’s Wyatt Johnston – he makes (the jump) right from junior to being a very good player for us. But then there’s Mavrik Bourque, who needed to work on his game in the American League for the past couple of seasons, but now he’s getting a good chance to step up. And we also have a very good young player in (defenseman) Thomas Harley, who has taken some big steps forward. There’s really no one set path to making it in the NHL (and) that’s why we approach everyone on the team on a case-by-case basis. It’s important to have that flexibility in the approach that you take.

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