The Stars, Jim Nill, and building a better sports performance department in Dallas

Following the success of the improved analytics staff, the Stars GM is looking into sports performance this offseason.

I had a lengthy conversation with Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill on Tuesday morning.

We discussed his recent contract extension with the Stars, which runs through the end of the 2025-26 season, his approach moving forward and some retrospective thoughts on his tenure in Dallas, which dates back to 2013.

A lot of those things will be covered in a column later this week that I’m working on for D Magazine. You should check that out when it publishes, it’ll be good, I promise.

In this space, I wanted to chat about something more nuanced — the Stars and a sports performance department.

This past season the Stars beefed up their analytics department, hiring Matt Rodell to lead the group and relying more on that department in both a coaching and management level.