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Article on assistant GM's ready to move up. Jim Nill #1

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1. Jim Nill, Detroit Red Wings:

Now in his 15th season as assistant GM in Detroit, he's been GM

material for a long time. And it just so happens that his contract will

soon begin to present itself with annual six-week "out windows" when he

can entertain GM offers from other teams, a source told ESPN.com. The

first window comes this summer. With five Stanley Cup rings and a long

list of late-draft gems on his resume, Nill is a top-notch candidate in

waiting. It would have to be the right fit for him to leave Detroit,

where he's happy and loyal to the Illitch family, but it's a

possibility. You can't go wrong if you name Nill as your GM. He'd be a

superstar hire.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/22084/assistant-gms-ready-to-take-next-step

Obviously it's only Lebrun's opinion but the part about his contract is what makes it sound like there's a legitimate chance Jim Nill could be moving on. He's been a big and often overlooked part of the Red Wings success.

With Nil also being a big part of prospect development for the Wings, I have to wonder if Holland's "overly ripe" philosophy was frustrating.

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Ah, correct me if I'm wrong, but Nill only has 4 Cup Rings, '97, '98, '02, and '08.

In any case, LeBrun is absolutely right. Nill would be at or near the top of several teams' lists if he were to become available. I've heard/read that he's very happy where he is, and has no intention of moving at the time.

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I always had a feeling that Nill would be promoted to GM once Devallano retires and Kenny takes his spot as Senior Vice President. IMO that's one reason why Stevie left because Nill was already the heir apparent.

Jimmy D is already 70y/o so retirement isn't very far around the corner, I doubt Nill jumps ship with a possible promotion so close in sight.

Just my $0.02

Yep. Mr. I will "promote" Kenny out of the GM position after our first round exit.

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Ah, correct me if I'm wrong, but Nill only has 4 Cup Rings, '97, '98, '02, and '08.

In any case, LeBrun is absolutely right. Nill would be at or near the top of several teams' lists if he were to become available. I've heard/read that he's very happy where he is, and has no intention of moving at the time.

I saw that too. I thought maybe he won one as a player. Turns out he got close but never did.

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Andersson, Bowman, Nill, Devellano.

Those guys know what they are doing.

You seem to really like to complain about Holland. If you don't like the decisions the have been made in the recent past you must know that Nill has been in on those decision. You praise Bowman and Devellano but you know that Holland was part of that GM threeway. Unless you have some insider information about who was chiefly responsible for which decisions it doesn't seem logical.

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You seem to really like to complain about Holland. If you don't like the decisions the have been made in the recent past you must know that Nill has been in on those decision. You praise Bowman and Devellano but you know that Holland was part of that GM threeway. Unless you have some insider information about who was chiefly responsible for which decisions it doesn't seem logical.

Its a favourite line of Holland bashers - Bowman + Devellano get the credit for players drafted in the early-mid 90s because Holland was just a scout. Players drafted by Holland when he became GM in the late 90s, they were nothing to do with him, his scouts like Hakan Andersson did all the work. Head they win, tails you lose

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Familiarity breeds contempt. The only people who truly believe Holland isn't what he is are the ones who have spent too long thinking or talking about it and eventually moved on from yeah he's good, to man he's an idiot. One makes for no conversation, the other is extensive msg forum material. We think about it so much that we start to invent reasons why he's an idiot. We just obsess too much. If it were someone else we'd hate whoever it was. When Holland goes, and some time has passed and we don't think about him so much, we'll love the guy. Remember I said this and just wait.

Edited by shoobiedoobin

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Guest Crymson

If I remember correctly part of Nill's reason for not taking on the job in Montreal was an illness in the family, and he wanted to stay in Detroit.

I suspect there may have been more to it than that, namely not starting out in such a hostile and unforgiving market.

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Not sure who the next GM should be. My reasons for it have little to do with Nill. The RW have been at the top of the heap for a long long time. No one in the organization has ever had to rebuild a team before. Now we do. is Nill the right man for that job? I have no idea.

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Not sure who the next GM should be. My reasons for it have little to do with Nill. The RW have been at the top of the heap for a long long time. No one in the organization has ever had to rebuild a team before. Now we do. is Nill the right man for that job? I have no idea.

Jim Develanno has absolutely rebuilt a team...When he started with the Wings they were one of the worst teams in hockey and they have never looked back.

That's not the point though as Holland isn't going to be fired regardless of how this season goes. Even if their playoff streak ends, it will be because of an insane rash of injuries combined with a shortened season not because of personnel.

Even with all these guys out the Wings remain in a playoff spot while their farm team is having its best season in years. They also have more high end prospects than they have had in the history of the franchise.

The only way there would be a change at the General Manager position would be if Holland was promoted and Nill was given the GM job.

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Jim Develanno has absolutely rebuilt a team...When he started with the Wings they were one of the worst teams in hockey and they have never looked back.

That's not the point though as Holland isn't going to be fired regardless of how this season goes. Even if their playoff streak ends, it will be because of an insane rash of injuries combined with a shortened season not because of personnel.

Even with all these guys out the Wings remain in a playoff spot while their farm team is having its best season in years. They also have more high end prospects than they have had in the history of the franchise.

The only way there would be a change at the General Manager position would be if Holland was promoted and Nill was given the GM job.

But Jimmy d doesn't do much anymore. Plus he is 70+. That also was 30 years ago. It has been a long long time.

The rest is just an opinion and trueth be told means little. we haven't developed a star player in over a decade. The Griff's record has nothing to do with future or current as we saw tonight, success pf the RW.

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But Jimmy d doesn't do much anymore. Plus he is 70+. That also was 30 years ago. It has been a long long time.

The rest is just an opinion and trueth be told means little. we haven't developed a star player in over a decade. The Griff's record has nothing to do with future or current as we saw tonight, success pf the RW.

How do you know what Jimmy does and doesn't do for the Red Wings? Sure he's getting up there in age but he's younger than Bowman was when he was still working for the Wings.

The GM is evaluated on the performance of the organization as a whole, not just the performance of the top club. The fact that Holland and company have a farm club stocked with enough talent to battle for 1st in the conference while half the team is called up to fill in for the Wings is not going to be lost on Illitch.

The success of the farm team also showed in spades tonight, Tatar was one of if not the best player on the ice for either team.

Do you honestly believe Holland is going to be fired?

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How do you know what Jimmy does and doesn't do for the Red Wings? Sure he's getting up there in age but he's younger than Bowman was when he was still working for the Wings.

The GM is evaluated on the performance of the organization as a whole, not just the performance of the top club. The fact that Holland and company have a farm club stocked with enough talent to battle for 1st in the conference while half the team is called up to fill in for the Wings is not going to be lost on Illitch.

The success of the farm team also showed in spades tonight, Tatar was one of if not the best player on the ice for either team.

Do you honestly believe Holland is going to be fired?

Fired? no. Retire, yes. Could be anytime. i expect him to remain club president, but let someone else run things day to day.

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So in other words you expect him to be promoted? That I would agree with.

You don't retire and stay on at a higher salary in a higher position. That's like saying he retired as Assistant General Manager after 1997 but stayed on as the GM.

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But Jimmy d doesn't do much anymore. Plus he is 70+.

Sir Alex Ferguson is 71. Man Utd are top of the EPL.

As long as your still have the desire, and the health, age is just a number.

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How do you know what Jimmy does and doesn't do for the Red Wings? Sure he's getting up there in age but he's younger than Bowman was when he was still working for the Wings.

The GM is evaluated on the performance of the organization as a whole, not just the performance of the top club. The fact that Holland and company have a farm club stocked with enough talent to battle for 1st in the conference while half the team is called up to fill in for the Wings is not going to be lost on Illitch.

The success of the farm team also showed in spades tonight, Tatar was one of if not the best player on the ice for either team.

Do you honestly believe Holland is going to be fired?

I have to disagree with your bolded statement. In pro sports, the performance of the top club IS the performance of the organization. As a GM, you will get fired for not making the playoffs a few years in a row, even if your farm team wins a championship in every one of those years. If your top club lacks players, yet your farm system is bursting at the seams with talent, some kind of action needs to be taken, no?

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He was already offered a GM position, I don't think he has any interest in leaving the Wings. In sports, we're so used to guys who are super competitive and always wanting to advance, but I think Nill has found what he's good at and is comfortable doing it. He knows that if he's patient, he'll get the job in Detroit, so what difference does a few years make?

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I have to disagree with your bolded statement. In pro sports, the performance of the top club IS the performance of the organization. As a GM, you will get fired for not making the playoffs a few years in a row, even if your farm team wins a championship in every one of those years. If your top club lacks players, yet your farm system is bursting at the seams with talent, some kind of action needs to be taken, no?

That's a bit of a strawman argument.

The performance of the Farm team will absolutely be reflected in the evaluation of a GM.

If an AHL team is winning championships every year and none of the talent is being called up then the NHL team isn't being managed properly. But if your AHL team has consistently sucked while your NHL team was successful and for 1 season it reverses, thats not really that big of a deal. If anything it shows that more NHL success is on the horizon.

If that trend were to continue for several years he might get the axe, but that hasn't happened and given Hollands track record as a GM I don't expect it to.

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That's a bit of a strawman argument.

The performance of the Farm team will absolutely be reflected in the evaluation of a GM.

If an AHL team is winning championships every year and none of the talent is being called up then the NHL team isn't being managed properly. But if your AHL team has consistently sucked while your NHL team was successful and for 1 season it reverses, thats not really that big of a deal. If anything it shows that more NHL success is on the horizon.

If that trend were to continue for several years he might get the axe, but that hasn't happened and given Hollands track record as a GM I don't expect it to.

Again, it doesn't matter what happens in GR, as long as the NHL team is doing well. Different teams manage their personnel differently. Some develop their draft selections and then call them up, some call them up sooner rather than later, some rely more on signing free agents etc. As long as your main team is winning, no one is going to ask the GM any questions about the farm team. Results are paramount, how you got there doesn't matter at all. So Holland is doing to be evaluated by the fans, and, more importantly, by the ownership based solely on the Wings record. That is my point. How well the Griffins have done will not even be part of the coversation.

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Again, it doesn't matter what happens in GR, as long as the NHL team is doing well. Different teams manage their personnel differently. Some develop their draft selections and then call them up, some call them up sooner rather than later, some rely more on signing free agents etc. As long as your main team is winning, no one is going to ask the GM any questions about the farm team. Results are paramount, how you got there doesn't matter at all. So Holland is doing to be evaluated by the fans, and, more importantly, by the ownership based solely on the Wings record. That is my point. How well the Griffins have done will not even be part of the coversation.

The Farm club obviously isn't a big part of a GM's evaluation but to say it doesn't matter to an Owner isn't exactly true either. (Fan evaluations are irrelevant as they don't have the power to replace a GM)

If a GM has stockpiled talent in the draft he won't be fired after 1 bad season if that talent is developing and producing on the farm team. He might be if they don't perform at the NHL level, but a championship AHL team can save the job of a GM with a poor producing NHL team. Look at Bob Gainey in 06, Steve Yzerman last year, and Brian Murray in 2010/11. All 3 missed the playoffs with a franchise that was expected to do well but all 3 teams had championship AHL teams. Not surprisingly all 3 GM's kept their jobs.

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