NHL GMs

[conundrumed]

Who do you think are the top NHL GMs?

Mine are:

Lou - track record is undeniable. Dubas gives contracts like candy. NYI minus Tavares was supposed to be devastating. Nope, they've got Lou.

Poile - Building a team from the net out is his specialty. The only GM the Preds have ever had, and they're always competitive.

Yzerman - 8 yrs building a juggernaut in TBay, former NHL stars seem to have a ton of patience dealing with problems and solving them. Keeping that mammoth roster cap compliant, wow.

Sakic - Was the whipping boy for awhile with Duschene, but again, great players and patience turned into a huge haul. Knows Barrie doesn't play D and turning him into Kadri was epic.

Army - childhood friend. lol Another net out guy. I love most of the hockey deals he is willing to make. His team is deep, even in development.

[cross16]

I agree on Poile, Yzerman and Armstrong. Sakic may make my list in a copule years but for now I need to see more. He hasn't been bad and I like the Duchene move a lot but at the same time the majority of the Avs success is due to Mackinnon and that was lucky. Luck is always a part of it but I elevate GMs who i see do more to affect their team. 

 

The ones I would add:

Kevin Chevaldayoff: Incredibly impressive how much of their team is homegrown and what they've done this season despite the players missing is impressive. Really nice Trouba trade as well. 

George McPhee: Playing the expansion draft like a true maestro. Some of that was luck and opportunity but he also built the majority of that Washington team too. 

 

Those 5 stand out for me. A couple more, guys like Sakic and John Chyka, show promise (and I would still put Treliving here too) and the rest get clumped together. 

[sak22]

I don't disagree with whats listed in either.  I would add Stan Bowman, the guy inherited a cap crunch and won 3 in 5 years the dud deserves credit for that.  Doug Wilson's time in San Jose might be nearing its end, but 15 years on the job and 14 playoff appearances, it will likely come up short of the big one in the end but the guy did a great job keeping that team competitive all these year.

[robrob74]

6 hours ago, sak22 said:

I don't disagree with whats listed in either.  I would add Stan Bowman, the guy inherited a cap crunch and won 3 in 5 years the dud deserves credit for that.  Doug Wilson's time in San Jose might be nearing its end, but 15 years on the job and 14 playoff appearances, it will likely come up short of the big one in the end but the guy did a great job keeping that team competitive all these year.

 

But parts of the Chicago teams were built by Dale Tallon, at least the 1st cup was. He screwed up by not signing the RFA's in time... So I guess that screws him over right there.

[cross16]

Stan Bowman is a good case of why i think how we judge GMs is flawed. Guy won cups yes but he also shortened his teams window with some flat out terrible moves 

 

- Since 2010 the only NHL regular they have drafted on their team is Debrincant

- he signed Seabrook to the awful extension that is handcuffing his team financially and probably is a top 3 worst contract in the league.

- gave away Tervo Tervaninen because he gave Bryan Bickell a terrible contract. 

- sold Nick Leddy for nothing

- Moved Hjarlsmmon for the nightmare that is Connor Murphy

- the Panarin - Saad trade.....

 

so ya he won 3 cups but it's not hard to argue that he wins another one if he was a better manager. Obviously i'm highlighting he bad but there are not many good moves either. he did ok getting some picks back for guys like Browuer, Versteeg etc but then he also did nothing with those picks. 

 

[JTech780]

I used to think highly of Bowman, I mean he does have 3 Cup rings and he comes from hockey royalty, but when you take a closer look, he is one of the most overrated GM's in the league. The core that won those Cups was put together by Tallon, and Bowman has just done a terrible job of surrounding that core with talent.

 

Doug Wilson deserves some credit, he has kept that San Jose team as annual contender for a long time now, and has drafted pretty well considering he hasn't many high picks. This year looks a lost year and he has made some mistakes, but overall I think he is a very good GM.

 

Doug Armstrong is a very good GM and should be near the top of the list of best GM's in the league.

 

I am not as high on Chayka as Cross, I think he has made some bad trades the last few years. I wasn't a fan of the Domi for Galchenyuk trade at the time and I think it looks even worse now. I also think they overpaid for Hall, and the timing of the Hall trade doesn't make a lot of sense for me.

 

I think Treliving does a lot of things well, his one blemish would be UFA signings but I think he is starting to figure that out as well.

 

Lou is up there as well, as much as I hate to admit that, his teams just make the playoffs on a way too consistent basis for him not to be included on this list.

 

 

 

[robrob74]

7 hours ago, JTech780 said:

I used to think highly of Bowman, I mean he does have 3 Cup rings and he comes from hockey royalty, but when you take a closer look, he is one of the most overrated GM's in the league. The core that won those Cups was put together by Tallon, and Bowman has just done a terrible job of surrounding that core with talent.

 

Doug Wilson deserves some credit, he has kept that San Jose team as annual contender for a long time now, and has drafted pretty well considering he hasn't many high picks. This year looks a lost year and he has made some mistakes, but overall I think he is a very good GM.

 

Doug Armstrong is a very good GM and should be near the top of the list of best GM's in the league.

 

I am not as high on Chayka as Cross, I think he has made some bad trades the last few years. I wasn't a fan of the Domi for Galchenyuk trade at the time and I think it looks even worse now. I also think they overpaid for Hall, and the timing of the Hall trade doesn't make a lot of sense for me.

 

I think Treliving does a lot of things well, his one blemish would be UFA signings but I think he is starting to figure that out as well.

 

Lou is up there as well, as much as I hate to admit that, his teams just make the playoffs on a way too consistent basis for him not to be included on this list.

 

 

 

 

He did make some moves that allowed them to win a few more cups. I can't name them at top of my head but for awhile his trades looked like genie in a bottle, but the recent ones, after giving his stars the keys to the city, he has looked horrible. The Panarin deal really took away a constant threat. I think he has been sinking since. Quinneville knew it too. He called out his boss and got canned. And I think that he is a top2 coach in the league.