In Defense of Jim Nill Acquiring Dumba, Smith, and Lyubushkin
Over this summer, Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill has made interesting acquisitions for the upcoming season.
Many of the latest signings have drawn the ire of Stars fans on the internet.
Those criticisms are directed at the additions of Matt Dumba, Illya Lyubushkin, and Brendan Smith. Three tough guys have been added to the 2025 roster, and some Stars fans believe they will cause the team to take a step back next season.
Here, we will talk about why these signings were worth a shot.
Physicality Wins in the Playoffs
While the Stars looked good throughout the regular season with team discipline and rolling four lines every night, the postseason is a different animal. When the final 16 teams are playing for their season, the ice shrinks, and the game slows down. That intensity always translates to a more physical game.
You can pick any Cup-winning team in any year, from the 2024 Florida Panthers, who had Sam Bennett, to the 2019 St. Louis Blues with Sammy Blais, to name only a couple of examples. All of these teams had at least one guy who played a physical game to set the tone. It’s an annual thing when the hit statistic simply matters more.
The Stars Were Bullied
Throughout this year’s playoffs, especially in their last two games, the Stars were figuratively and literally pushed out of the postseason. Dallas only outhit their opponent once out of six games in their series vs. the Oilers.
It wasn’t just Darnell Nurse and the Oilers who played a pounding on Dallas. The Colorado Avalanche and Nathan MacKinnon were able to out-hit the Stars. Leading to an injury to Roope Hintz. Aside from Captain Jamie Benn, Dallas had no response to the physicality they faced from the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado, or Edmonton.
Past Team’s Payoff
When the Stars were able to make runs to the Stanley Cup finals, they had a physical presence to plow the road. 1999, 2000, and 2020 consisted of a few guys on the roster who could hit, fight, and both. That team who made back-to-back finals appearances had Derian Hatcher, and four years ago, Dallas had the Big Rig in Jamie Oleksiak. Still, having Benn throw the body isn’t enough. Nill was right to create a more physical lineup.
Not only have past Stars teams had playoff success, but recent Cup champs made that pivot, too. After getting outworked and pushed around by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019, the Tampa Bay Lightning configured a grittier roster. They went on to win the Cup the next two seasons.
Much like their Floridian rivals, the Panthers shifted their team identity heading into the 2022-2023 season. They would go on to win the East two years in a row after that, winning their first Stanley Cup last month. Coincidentally, the Lightning forced them to adjust after a second-round defeat in the 2022 playoffs, where they watched Tampa Bay win the East three times in a row.
Both the 2019 Lightning and the 2022 Panthers cooked during their regular seasons, only to discover the hard way that their games needed more grit.
Let’s hope Nill and the Stars got the memo and can reap the same benefits going forward.
PHOTO: ClutchPoints
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