The Dallas Stars have announced a five-year contract extension for GM Jim Nill.
The deal keeps Nill under contract through the 2022-23 season.
Nill is the architect behind the Stars' run to the top of the Western Conference standings, making trades to acquire important pieces like Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp since being hired in 2013.
"In just over two years, Jim has helped instill a culture of excellence within our organization, and extending that partnership to 2022-23 is vital for the direction of the hockey club," owner Tom Gaglardi said. "From the day he stepped into this role, he has displayed tremendous decision-making in the re-tooling of our group, and we're excited to build upon the foundation that has been laid."
Before joining the Stars, Nill spent 19 seasons in the Detroit front office, where he won four Stanley Cups.
The 57-year-old Nill hired veteran coach Lindy Ruff and has since dramatically reshaped the Stars roster with a series of trades and acquisitions.
One of Nill's key early moves was a seven-player deal with Boston that first summer that brought young standout center Seguin. The Stars traded for center Spezza in 2014 offseason, then last summer traded for three-time Stanley Cup champion Sharp while signing free-agent defenseman Johnny Oduya and goaltender Antti Niemi.
Seguin and Jamie Benn are tied for the NHL lead with 24 goals each and were selected NHL All-Stars this season. Ruff will coach the Central Division during All-Star weekend.
"I've said over and over again just how special of a group we have here in Dallas, and developing and maintaining a winning organization is something I look forward to over the next seven years," Nill said. "My wife, Bekki, and I love the area and we truly call it our home."
The Stars are 29-10 with four overtime losses this season, for a West-leading 62 points. They are 110-72-25 overall since Nill was hired.
Dallas beat Winnipeg 2-1 in a shootout Thursday night to end a three-game losing streak, the first time the Stars had lost consecutive games this season. They had the NHL's best record before that.
"Jim Nill was on everyone's short list for a long time, and being able to hire to him to lead the hockey department was monumental for the Dallas Stars," said team President Jim Lites, who in his first stint with the Stars was part of their 1999 Stanley Cup championship and their return to the final the next season. "He's brought a stability to our franchise."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.