Joe Nieuwendyk’s tenure as the Dallas Stars’ general manager is over, but he doesn’t sound like a guy that has a lot of regrets.
“I’m very proud of what we accomplished,” he said in a Dallas Morning News report. “I know you get measured on getting to the playoffs and challenging for Stanley Cups, but I feel we’ve made a lot of progress in four years. I feel good about this group of players moving forward.”
Nieuwendyk isn’t sure what he learned during his time as a general manager.
“I think I’m proud of the tract that my morals and values were unwavering through it all,” he added. “I believe in doing the right thing and treating people with respect, and at the end of the Spector think I had the respect of my players and co-workers. I think we were a good team together.”
Dallas has gone five seasons without a postseason berth, but they do have some great young players, most notably Jamie Benn. Jim Nill will assume Nieuwendyk’s old post and his background as a scout should help him continue the Stars’ rebuilding efforts even as they try to end their playoffs drought in the near future.
Nill had been serving as the Detroit Red Wings assistant GM before he accepted Stars owner Tom Gaglardi’s offer.
“I think a GM with a history in scouting certainly has a leg up, and I think anyone who has been around that kind of success also has a head start,” Gaglardi said. “He’s been at the epicenter of one of the best franchises in hockey for nearly two decades, I think he’s an extremely qualified individual.”
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Report: Stars to fire GM Nieuwendyk, hire Detroit’s Nill