Stars GM Nill confident in offseason moves: 'I'm not worried about pressure'

Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill knows the bar has been raised, but he's not concerned.

"I'm not worried about pressure," he told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.

"We've got some of the best players in the world and the NHL, and our job is to win, so we're looking forward to it. We think we have a good thing going here, and we have been patient with our young kids and they're coming along."

Nill took advantage of cap flexibility and reshaped the roster this summer, landing forward Patrick Sharp in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, signing defenseman Johnny Oduya in free agency, and acquiring goaltender Antti Niemi's rights in a draft-day trade with the San Jose Sharks.

"We've been fortunate enough to make some good trades and sign some good free agents," Nill said. "We're excited about the year. Our expectations are high and they should be."

The GM believes Niemi's arrival will help incumbent starter Kari Lehtonen.

"We've got two No. 1 goalies. If there's an injury or one of them is struggling, we've got time to get it corrected," he said.

"We know when we go into a back-to-back situation, we have a fresh goalie that will be able to come in and win a game for us. I'm excited. We've had some good talks with both goalies and they're excited. Kari went into a lot of games last year knowing he had to play even though he was tired, hurt, or whatever. He knows now that he has a comfort level."

Lehtonen and Niemi both have experience starting over 60 games in a season, but Nill doesn't expect either of them to have a problem splitting time in the crease.

"I'm not worried about that at all," he said. "I've talked to both of them and, in the end, they're just like the rest of us. They want to win. Guys at this level are competitive and, in the end, when you win, things work out well."

The Stars finished 10th in the Western Conference last season, five points out of a playoff spot.